Vikings hand Comets their first conference loss
VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – The Valley City State men's basketball team handed Mayville State its first conference loss of the season on Friday night.
The Vikings built a big second-half lead behind a 3-point barrage, and then held on in the final minutes for a 10298 victory Friday in Valley City.
VCSU led by as many as 23 points at 84-61 after making seven 3's in the first nine minutes of the second half. Mayville State chipped away and eventually trimmed VCSU's lead to just one point at 99-98 with 40 seconds remaining. Daevonte Munson and Edmon Paul Oyet both made free throws to give the Vikings a 101-98 lead, and Thomas Gieske's game-tying 3-point attempt for Mayville rimmed out with 5 seconds left as the Vikings held on.
Valley City State is now 11-1 overall and 4-4 in conference play. Mayville State drops to 17-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference. Mayville State is receiving votes in this week's NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
"There have been steps forward all year, and a couple steps back, but I think now we're consistently moving forward," said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. "Having this win, knowing we can beat the top team in the conference, that's big for us. We feel like we can compete for a tournament title."
Valley City State made 15 3's in the game, shooting 15-for-26 from beyond the arc (53 percent). The Vikings were 8-for-12 on 3's in the second half. VCSU shot 53 percent overall (33-62) and 70 percent on free throws (21-30).
Mayville State shot 66 percent in the second half and 50 percent for the game (32-64). The Comets were 10-for-27 on 3's (37 percent) and went 22-for-29 at the line.
The Vikings had six players score in double figures, including 22 points by Cayden Rickard who went 6-for-7 on 3's and also added three assists.
"Cayden was vocal tonight, and the more Cayden is vocal – especially when he's scoring like he did tonight – we rally," said Montgomery. "You saw that with our guys, they rallied around him."
Daveonte Munson added 17 points and five rebounds, and Joseph Owens had a big night off the bench with 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Duoth Gach made three 3's and poured in 13 points, and both Hunter Sand and Cleveland Bedgood scored 10 points off the bench.
Gieske led five Comets in double figures, pouring in 26 points and pulling down a teamhigh eight rebounds. Jacques Safra hit four 3's and totaled 19 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. Colby Dillenbeck had 16 points off the bench and shot 7-for-8.
The Vikings made seven first-half 3's – including three by Rickard and two by Gach – as they built a 48-42 lead at the break.
VCSU opened the second half with a 12-4 run – capped by another Rickard 3 and a fastbreak bucket by Daevonte Munson – as they made it a 14-point lead at 60-46 with 17 minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings continued to pull away with a 3-point barrage. Rickard's sixth 3-pointer of the night opened up an 81-59 lead with 12:20 remaining. The Vikings made seven 7's in the first nine minutes of the second half and led 8461 at that point.
The Comets answered with a steady run of their own over the next three minutes, using a 15-3 push to trim VCSU's lead to 87-76 with 8 minutes to go. The Comets continued to chip away, eventually getting back to within 99-98 in the final minute.
The Vikings had the Comets on the ropes last weekend with a late second half lead before Mayville State rallied. This time around, the Vikings held off the Comets just enough to seal the victory.
"We gotta learn how to finish games; we just have to keep playing," said Montgomery. "That's a learning curve for our team… but I think we're figuring it out."
Up next: Valley City State hosts Presentation College on Saturday afternoon. The women tip at 3 p.m. and the men follow at 5 p.m.