Defense sparks Vikings to conference road win
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Valley City State had 17 steals and forced 24 turnovers as the VCSU men's basketball team earned a conference road win at Presentation College.
The Vikings took control with a 15-0 run early in the first half and led for the final 34 minutes of the contest, picking up an 84-72 victory.
With the win, Valley City State improves to 10-10 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Presentation College drops to 5-13 overall and 0-6 in the North Star.
"We went into a hostile environment and got a hard-fought road win," said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. "I'm proud of our ability to handle adversity."
Trailing 9-6 early in the game, the Vikings ripped off 15 straight points to take control at 21-9. Cleveland Bedgood started the rally with a 3-pointer and Duoth Gach capped it with a 3 – one of four 3's by Gach in the first half. The big run lasted just 2 minutes and was fueled by VCSU's defense that forced turnovers on six straight Saints possessions.
The Vikings extended the lead to 44-30 at halftime and led by as many as 16 points in the second half.
Presentation College eventually trimmed the Viking lead to four points late in the second half at 66-62, but five straight points by Daevonte Munson sparked a 10-3 Viking run that put the game back out of reach.
"I thought Presentation College made good adjustments in the second half, and we handled them OK but we still need to improve in certain areas," said Montgomery. "Our guys are learning what it takes to win conference games."
Six players scored in double figures for VCSU, including 16 by Gach – all of which came in the first half. Cayden Rickard scored 13 second-half points and finished with 15 in the game. Daevonte Munson scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half. Off the bench, Joseph Owens had 13 points and seven rebounds, Bedgood finished with 12 points and six rebounds, and Edmon Paul Oyet had 10 points.
Gach, Munson, Owens and Oyet all had three steals each as the Vikings finished with 17 steals, which included 12 steals in the first half. VCSU held a 39-32 rebounding advantage and a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass.
VCSU shot 44 percent overall (31-71), 36 percent on 3's (9-25) and 72 percent at the free throw line (13-18). Presentation College shot 49 percent from the field (2959), 25 percent on 3's (4-16) and 42 percent on free throws (10-24).