Valley City State drops NAIA opener

Valley City State's first trip to the NAIA national tournament ended after one game.

The Vikings were defeated by Sterling College of Kansas 71-65 in the final first-round game Wednesday night in Sioux City, Iowa.

Sterling led 38-33 at halftime, before Valley City State got within one point early in the second half. The Vikings never led.

Kristin Bearstail, a junior from Bismarck, led all scorers in the game for VCSU with 22 points, including four 3-pointers.

Amanda Brown, a senior, had 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals for the Vikings, who finished the season with a record of 23-9.

Valley City State shot just 33 (24-73) percent.

The Black Hills State women (22-7) take on Concordia (Ore.) today at noon in their first-round game.

The Black Hills State men (27-5) routed Holy Names, Calif., on Wednesday, 85-62 to advance to the round of 16.

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