Mount Marty Men's Basketball Falls to Valley City State Despite Strong Second Half

The Mount Marty University (MMU) men's basketball team was defeated at home by the Valley City State University (VCSU) Vikings, 83-76, on Friday, November 7, 2025. The loss drops the Lancers' early season record to 1-3.

Key Game Moments

Valley City State built an early lead behind highly efficient shooting and maintained it largely due to their performance at the free-throw line.

• Halftime Deficit: MMU trailed the Vikings 41-37 at the break.

• Free Throw Difference: VCSU made 25 free throws on 31 attempts (80.6%), while Mount Marty made 11 free throws on 19 attempts (57.9%). This 14-point difference at the line was critical.

Offensive Breakdown

The Lancers shot the ball well from the field and three-point range but struggled with free-throw consistency.

• Leading Scorers: Deegan Williams led the Lancers with 18 points and 4 assists. Jake Jensen added 16 points (3-7 3PT), and Mac Ryken came off the bench for an efficient 11 points (4-9 FG).

• Field Goal %: Mount Marty shot a respectable 47.5% (28-59 FG) from the field.

• Three-Point %: The Lancers were solid from deep, hitting 37.5% (9-24 3PT). Damon Opdahl and Jake Jenseneach hit 3 three-pointers.

• Sutton Arend was perfect from the field, hitting all 4 of his shots for 8 points.

Defensive and VCSU Highlights

Mount Marty was outrebounded and struggled to contain VCSU's efficient offense, which shot over 50% from the field.

• VCSU Efficiency: Valley City State shot 51.0% (26-51 FG) from the field.

• Leading Viking: JR Cison led VCSU with 21 points.

• Rebounding: VCSU outrebounded the Lancers 37-19. Jake Jensen led MMU with 6 rebounds.

• Turnovers: The Lancers committed 12 turnovers to VCSU's 16.

Mount Marty's efficient shooting effort was ultimately overshadowed by the Vikings' dominance at the free-throw line and on the boards.