MOORHEAD, MINN. – Valley City State University women's basketball took down #25 Carroll College in an overtime thriller on Friday, Feb. 20, with a score of 78-75. Valley City State University improves to 10-15 overall and is 7-14 in Frontier Conference games. Carroll College falls to 18-9 overall and 16-5 in Frontier Conference games.

After giving up the first basket, the Vikings surged, scoring the next seven with a three from Ellie Braaten, a two from JayCee Richter, and a two from Tiyana Schwinghammer, capturing an early 7-2 lead. The Vikings steadily held a 3–to 5-point lead for the remainder of the first quarter. Richter hit a pair of free throws to give the Vikings a 17-11 lead to close the first.

The Vikings outscored the Saints 10-2 in the first two and a half minutes of the second half to take their largest lead up to that point at 27-13 after a Schwinghammer three. A possession later, Schwinghammer then put up a two-pointer, making it 29-13. Later in the second quarter, the Saints would fight back, closing the Vikings' gap to two points at 37-35. VCSU's Liz Lukken then nailed a two with one second remaining in the half to give the Vikings a 39-28 lead at halftime.

At halftime, the Vikings were led by Tiyana Schwinghammer with nine points, two rebounds, and a block. Ellie Braaten followed with seven points and two rebounds. The Vikings shot 15/26 from the field, 4/7 from the three-point line, and 5/6 from the free-throw line. Carroll College shot 10/28 from the field, 0/5 from the three-point line, and 8/12 from the free-throw line.

Carroll fought hard in the third, cutting the Viking lead to four in the first two minutes of play. Schwinghammer fired back, making a three keeping the Vikings up seven at 44-37. The Saints continued to press, getting within two, when Richter hit a three to keep a five-point lead for the Vikings with 5:57 remaining in the quarter. The Vikings and Saints exchanged baskets and possessions for the rest of the third. VCSU would get the last baskets at the line, closing the quarter with a 59-51 lead.

With both teams struggling on offense to start the fourth, the Saints found an edge scoring on three straight possessions to tie the game at 63-63. With two minutes remaining, the score was tied at 67-67 after a pair of Braaten free throws. The Vikings then grabbed a 69-67 lead with a minute left after Richter made two free throws. Carroll tied the game 69-69 with 46 seconds left, bringing it to overtime.

Abby Aslesen was the first to strike in overtime, giving the Vikings a narrow lead that they would not relinquish. Schwinghammer scored a pair of two-pointers that was followed by a three-point play by Richter, which gave the Vikings a three-point lead with 37 seconds remaining. VCSU would hang on and capture a 78-75 win over #25 Carroll College.

The Vikings closed the game shooting 28/59 from the field, 6/13 from the three-point line, and 16/19 from the free throw line. They were led by JayCee Richter, who tallied 19 points, four rebounds, and one steal. Tiyana Schwinghammer had 18 points, five rebounds, and a block on the night. The Saints shot 29/64 from the field, 3/14 from the three-point line, and 14/25 from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT: The Vikings will face Rocky Mountain College on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3:00 p.m.