VALLEY CITY – Valley City State University women's basketball takes down the #21-ranked Montana Tech Orediggers on Saturday, Nov. 22. The Vikings handed #21 Montana Tech their first loss of the season, outscoring them 61-58.

VCSU moves to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Frontier Conference games. The Orediggers are now 5-1 overall and 1-1 in Frontier Conference games.

Early in the first quarter, the Vikings and Orediggers went shot-for-shot, leading to a tie at 7-7, after the Orediggers hit a three-pointer. From there, the Vikings pulled ahead after earning points from Tiyana Schwinghammer, Ellie Powell, and Madison Spacher, giving the Vikings a 13-9 lead to close the first quarter.

In the second, they grew their existing 13-9 lead to 17-10, holding the Orediggers to just one point six minutes into the second quarter. With three minutes remaining in the half, Olivia Backus nailed a three, followed by a Schwinghammer two a few possessions later. Backus once again found the hoop, hitting a two to give the Vikings a 29-21 lead going into halftime.

At halftime, the Vikings were led by Olivia Backus, who had eight points, and shot 3-for-8 from the field. Schwinghammer had already tallied seven points and seven rebounds in the contest.

The third quarter tilted in favor of the Orediggers, yielding Montana Tech a 46-40 lead. The Vikings tallied 11 points in the quarter thanks to a pair of free throws from Aubrey Prunty, a three-pointer from Abby Aslesen, a two-pointer from JayCee Richter, and four points from Ellie Powell.

In the fourth quarter, the Vikings gradually climbed back into the game. They earned points from Schwinhammer, Madison Spacher, JayCee Richter, and Ellie Braaten. With 3:29 remaining, Richter hit a game-tying three with 3:29 minutes remaining. A few possessions later, the Vikings earned their first lead of the half with 41 seconds remaining, thanks to a Schwinghammer free throw, taking a 59-58 lead. Closing the contest, the Vikings made two more free throws and held strong on the defensive end.

In the win, the Vikings were led by Tiyana Schwinghammer, who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She also co-led the team in steals with three. Senior JayCee Richter scored 13 points along with three rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

UP NEXT: The Vikings are set to host Trinity Bible College on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 5:00 p.m.