Pearson Leads Vikings with 15 Points at Dakota Wesleyan
MITCHELL, S.D. – Damian Pearson scored 15 points and Jayger Meschke provided a perfect shooting performance off the bench Saturday as the Valley City State men's basketball team fell 75-56 at Dakota Wesleyan.
The Vikings trailed by just four points at halftime and remained within three midway through the second half before the Tigers pulled away at the Corn Palace.
Pearson shot 5-for-10 from the field and added four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Meschke finished with nine points in nine minutes, making all four of his field-goal attempts, including his lone 3-point attempt.
VCSU stayed close throughout a back-and-forth opening half. Jaelyn Johnson's jumper gave the Vikings a 13-12 lead, and Maddox Griffin later tied the game at 15.
Meschke helped spark an 8-0 Viking run, scoring three baskets around a Taylor Bryant-Frey jumper as VCSU moved ahead 23-19 with 6:40 remaining before halftime.
Dakota Wesleyan answered with 11 consecutive points to take a 30-23 lead. The Tigers stretched their advantage to nine late in the half, but Joel Nelson scored the final five points, including a 3-pointer with 28 seconds remaining, to bring VCSU within 35-31 at the break.
Pearson opened the second half with a basket to trim the deficit to two. The Vikings continued to answer Dakota Wesleyan's offense, getting a Nelson triple and baskets from Pearson and Logan Deal to stay within reach.
Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer with 13:26 remaining, and Seydou Tamboura followed with a basket to make it 48-45 with 12:38 to play. Dakota Wesleyan then put together a 13-1 run to build a 61-46 advantage with 9:19 remaining.
Meschke connected from beyond the arc to end that stretch, but VCSU was unable to bring the deficit back to single digits.
Tamboura finished with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Nelson added eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Johnson scored eight points and made two 3-pointers.
The Vikings held a 32-20 rebounding advantage and collected 11 offensive rebounds. VCSU shot 41.1 percent from the field, went 5-for-24 from 3-point range and made 5 of 10 free throws.
Dakota Wesleyan shot 56.6 percent overall and made 8 of 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Braelyn Dale led the Tigers with 12 points, followed by Oliver Vincent with 11 points and seven assists and Tyson Stevenson with 10 points.
UP NEXT
Valley City State returns home Tuesday, Nov. 3, to host the University of Minnesota Morris. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
