VALLEY CITY, N.D. -- The Valley City State University women's basketball team outscored Bellevue University, 22-14 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 68-59 victory in North Star Athletic Association action Saturday night at Osmon Fieldhouse.
Bellevue fell to 7-6 on the season and 1-2 in the NSAA with the loss. VCSU improved to 12-3 overall and 4-0 in league play.
Christen Voyles was the lone Bruin to finish in double figures, registering 13 points, to go along with three rebounds. Caletria Curtis finished with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Lexi Lenon led the Vikings with 19 points and three rebounds. Nisja Bass added 15 points and nine boards.
The Bruins hit 3-of-5 shots from behind the arc in the opening quarter as BU grabbed a 16-15 lead at the end of the first frame. Ryleigh McCartney led the Bruins with five points in the opening 10 minutes.
After the Vikings opened the second quarter with an 11-4 run to take a six-point lead, the Bruins battled back behind seven-straight points from Voyles to regain the advantage at 27-26 with 2:23 left in the half. A jumper by Hannah Schlecht just before the buzzer gave the Vikings a 28-27 lead at the intermission.
Voyles led BU in the opening half with 10 points and three rebounds.
The third quarter was nearly a carbon copy of the second as the Vikings pulled away for an eight-point lead at 43-35 before the Bruins surged back, closing the frame on a 10-3 run capped by a 3-pointer by Angeliece Tucker to pull to within one at 46-45 heading into the final quarter.
After a three-minute scoring drought for both teams, a 3-pointer by Lennon gave VCSU a five-point lead at 53-48 with 4:44 left in the contest. Another 3-pointer from Lenon gave the Vikings an eight-point cushion (59-51) at the 2:39 mark.
A 3-pointer by Voyles brought the Bruins to within five at 61-56 with just under a minute remaining. The Vikings, however, nailed seven free throws in the final minute to seal the 68-59 victory.
The Bruins will return home on Friday, Dec. 16 when they host Presentation College at 5:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
