VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State women's basketball team took a fourth quarter comeback victory over (RV) Jamestown Friday night at the Bubble, 77-74.
 
Elyse Hebrink scored the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds remaining, and the Viking defense forced a Jimmie turnover on the next possession. Ellie Braaten sank a pair of free throws with 5 seconds on the clock to ice the win, and Abby Aslesen recorded a steal to halt Jamestown's final chance as time expired.
 
VCSU won two out of its three matchups against Jamestown this season, including a 72-54 road win on Jan. 3. VCSU improves to 13-10 on the season and 5-6 in conference play. Jamestown falls to 16-6 overall and 6-5 in the North Star.
 
The Jimmies opened the game with a 20-15 lead after shooting 51 percent and sinking three 3's in the first quarter. The Vikings answered on the defensive side in the second quarter, holding Jamestown to just four field goals in the frame and forcing five turnovers. VCSU closed the gap to trail 30-29 on a Tilda Mauritzson bucket en route to trail 37-31 at halftime.
 
The Jimmies and Vikings were deadlocked through the third quarter, each scoring 20 points. Jamestown led by as much as 10 points on a Megan Oswald bucket with 7:13 remaining in the game when VCSU found its explosive offense. The Vikings took a 17-7 run including 3-pointers from Ashlyn Diemert, Braaten and Aslesen to tie the game at 70-70 with 1:54 to go.
 
Aslesen sank another 3-pointer to take a 73-72 Viking lead with 44 seconds remaining, but Jamestown quickly responded with a Hannah Hagel bucket. After a Viking timeout, VCSU executed a flawless play resulting in a layup by Elyse Hebrink to take the 75-74 lead with just 14 seconds to go. She was fouled on the play but missed a free throw, giving the Jimmies another chance.
 
The Viking defense forced a turnover, and Ellie Braaten sank a pair of free throws, marking a career-best 23 points for the sophomore guard. With five seconds to go, the Jimmies had a chance at forcing overtime, but Abby Aslesen tabbed a steal before time expired to pick up the win.
 
VCSU shot 45 percent from the field (27-60), 44 percent from 3-point range (8-18) and 75 percent from the free throw line (15-20). Jamestown shot 39 percent on field goals (24-61), 27 percent on 3-pointers (7-26) and 91 percent from the charity stripe (19-21). The Vikings held the rebounding edge 38-35 including 10 offensive boards.
 
The Vikings were led by Braaten's 23 points with the help of her 9-for-11 free throw performance. Braaten added a team-best five assists and four steals on the night. Aslesen added 16 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals for the Vikings. Diemert totaled 13 points and Ellie Powell posted six rebounds and two blocked shots Friday.
 
Jamestown was led by a game-high 28 points from Hannah Hagel. Megan Oswald tallied 12 points while Samantha Paulsen finished with eight points, five steals and one block. Kate Cordes dished a team-high six assists for the Jimmies.
 
UP NEXT: VCSU hosts Dickinson State on Saturday at 3 p.m. for its final home game of the regular season and Senior Day at the Bubble.