VCSU Viking Women Defeat Cougars in Season Opener
(VCSU) VALLEY CITY – Valley City State's Emma Nielsen hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third quarter to put the Vikings ahead by double figures to help lift the Vikings to an 81-74 victory over University of Minnesota-Morris Wednesday night.
Valley City State opens the season with a 1-0 record. Wednesday's game was an exhibition match for NCAA Div. III school Minnesota-Morris.
Emma Nielsen scored 19 points for the Vikings Wednesday while shooting 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. Viking returners Taryn Dieterle and Adriana Torres each finished with a double-double in VCSU's season opener. Dieterle put up 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Torres totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Ashlyn Diemert added eight points and Hailey Roberts dished out five assists for VCSU.
"I really liked how our returners overall set the tone for us. Ashlyn [Diemert] started a spark for us off the bench and our returners didn't let us get stagnant in important times. We do have a lot to learn but it's always fun to start 1-0." said head coach Vanessa Johnson.
Valley City State trailed by as much as six points towards the end of the first quarter but picked up the tempo in the second quarter and used a 10-0 run to take a 33-27 lead. A basket from freshman Ashlyn Diemert gave the Vikings a 40-37 advantage at the half.
Emma Nielsen hit three 3-pointers in the first three minutes out of the locker room to lift the Vikings to a 5343 lead. A Katie Johnson 3-pointer put the Vikings up by 14 points at 67-53 with 0:42 left in the third quarter.
The Cougars took a late 8-2 run to close the gap to 76-70 with 2:32 remaining but time ran out as the Vikings secured an 81-74 home victory Wednesday.
Valley City State shot 46 percent from the field (32-70), 40 percent on 3's (8-20-) and 64 percent from the line (9-14). Minnesota-Morris shot 35 percent from the field (25-72), 25 percent on 3-pointers (624) and 67 percent on free throws (18-27). The Vikings also held a rebounding edge over the Cougars 46-43, including 10 on the offensive glass.
Lexus Eagle Chasing led the Cougars with 17 points and eight rebounds Wednesday. Haley Wollschlager and Tariq Brownotter each chipped in 11 points while Justine Day and Malory Anderson each grabbed nine rebounds for the Cougars.
UP NEXT: Valley City State travels to the Sanford Pentagon Classic this weekend. VCSU takes on Dakota Wesleyan at 6 p.m. Saturday and faces Mount Marty at 12 p.m. Sunday.