VALLEY CITY, N.D. – The Valley City State University men's basketball team opened its season with an 88-38 victory over Oak Hills Tuesday night, combining hot shooting with a dominant performance on the boards.
Four Vikings scored in double figures as VCSU shot 56.1 percent from the field and knocked down 12 of 21 attempts from 3-point range. The Vikings outrebounded Oak Hills 47-23 and held the visitors to 23.7 percent shooting.
Jaelyn Johnson led VCSU with 17 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Logan Deal added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Aiden Hanson finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Seydou Tamboura recorded a double-double off the bench with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
After Oak Hills took an early 8-7 lead, Joel Nelson connected on a 3-pointer with 14:38 remaining in the first half to put the Vikings ahead for good. His basket sparked a 17-0 run that gave VCSU a 24-8 advantage.
The Vikings continued to build their lead, stretching the margin to 35-10 before taking a 51-19 advantage into halftime. Johnson scored 10 first-half points, while Deal and Nelson each added nine. Tamboura contributed eight points and eight rebounds before the break.
VCSU maintained control throughout the second half. Hanson and Johnson each connected from beyond the arc during a stretch that pushed the lead to 66-22 with 12:36 remaining. The Vikings outscored Oak Hills 37-19 over the final 20 minutes, reaching their largest lead on Tamboura's 3-pointer with 39 seconds left.
Nelson finished with nine points, Taylor Bryant-Frey added eight points and two steals, and Jayger Meschke contributed six points, five rebounds and three assists. Damian Pearson and Maddox Griffin also dished out three assists apiece as VCSU finished with 16.
The Vikings received 40 points from their bench and held advantages of 26-6 in points in the paint and 14-2 in second-chance points.
Nate Vinson led Oak Hills with 18 points, while Nate Miller added 12 on four 3-pointers. Isaiah Cagle grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Valley City State starts the season 1-0, while Oak Hills falls to 0-1.
