Viking men roll to 19-point win on Senior Day
VALLEY CITY – 12 different Vikings scored Saturday as the Valley City State men's basketball team rolled to a big victory on Senior Day.
The Vikings built an 18-point halftime lead and led by as many as 32 points in the second half as they cruised to a 93-74 win over Dakota State University.
VCSU recognized its eight seniors prior to the game and then put on a show on the court. The Vikings scored 50 first-half points, shooting 53 percent and opening up a 50-32 lead. The Vikings continued to pour it on early in the second half as Duoth Gach hit three early 3's and VCSU took a 77-45 lead and coasted to the 19-point victory.
Gach dribbles up the floor"These eight guys have done so much for this program over the years," said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. "Tonight, I didn't care if we won by 1, 20 or 30. As long as everybody got a chance to show themselves out on the floor tonight, I feel like it would be a successful night and we did that."
The Vikings have now won five of their last six conference games and improve their record to 15-12 overall and 8-5 in conference play. VCSU remains in a tie for third place in the NSAA standings with just one game remaining next week at Dickinson State. VCSU and Dickinson are both 8-5 in conference play while Bellevue University is one game back at 7-6. If VCSU wins the regular season finale at Dickinson State, the Vikings will earn the No. 3 seed for the postseason. If Dickinson State defeats VCSU, the Vikings will likely be the No. 4 seed.
Daevonte Munson led the charge with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Gach sank four 3's on the night and totaled 18 points. Cayden Rickard also knocked down four 3's and totaled 15 points, four assists and three steals.
Nine other Vikings all scored in the game. Starting guard Tate Hebrink was the only player not to score, but he finished with four assists and three steals.
"We've played really well at home this year," said Montgomery, whose team is in line to host a first-round playoff game on Feb. 21. "Our guys just really enjoy playing in front of their families and their home fans. We want a familylike atmosphere here and in our program, and these seniors have helped us build that."
The Vikings shot 49 percent overall (36-73), 31 percent on 3's (11-36) and 59 percent at the line (10-17). Dakota State finished the game shooting 44 percent overall (28-64), 35 percent on 3's (8-23) and 83 percent on free throws (10-12).
VCSU held a 43-37 rebounding advantage, including a 16-11 edge on the offensive glass. Munson and Hunter Lyman combined for eight of VCSU's offensive rebounds.
Sam Muller scored 22 points to lead Dakota State, while Ethan Slaathaug finished with 14 points off the bench.
Saturday's victory was also the 100th career win for VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery.
Up next: Valley City State finished the regular season with a doubleheader at Dickinson State on Thursday, Feb. 16. The women tip at 6:30 p.m. Central Time and the men follow at 8:30 p.m.