January 12, 2018

La CROSSE, Wis. – Viterbo (Wis.) limited Dakota State (S.D.) to 37.5 percent from the field Friday evening at R.W. Beggs Gymnasium, as the V-Hawks held on to a 68-59 North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Men's Basketball conference victory.

Dakota State, who kicked off their six-game North Star conference road stretch, fell to 9-11 overall record.  Viterbo improved to 11-8 overall record.  Both DSU and VU are in a three-way tie for fifth-place with Bellevue (Neb.) in the NSAA conference standings (3-4 conference record).

Justin Folkers drained a 3-pointer to give the Trojans a 3-0 early lead with 19 minutes, 46 seconds on the clock.  The V-Hawks then went on a 12-2 run to earn a 12-5 lead with 12:47 left in the first-half.

Trailing 15-9, Kevin Daniels scored eight straight points while Maurice Arrington added a field goal to cap DSU's 10-0 run for a 19-15 lead with 7:25 remaining before intermission.  VU answered back with a 10-0 run to regain their lead at 25-19 with 3:45 on the clock.

Viterbo held a 30-26 halftime lead over Dakota State.  The V-Hawks shot 44.4 percent from the field (12-of-27) compared to Trojans 36.7 percent (11-of-30) in the first-half.

Dakota State could get no closer than two points on two different occasions in the second-half – 30-28 with 19:51 left after Daniels' field goal and 33-31 after a 3-pointer by Daniels with 17:15 remaining.

VU went on a 14-2 scoring tear to gain the biggest lead of the game at 47-33 with 13:53 to go in the game.  DSU mounted a comeback with a 16-6 run, where Brady Elder hit a 3-pointer to cut VU's lead to 53-49 with 5:07 left.

Viterbo would score eight straight points to increase their lead to 61-49 with 2:46 remaining, pulling away for the victory over Dakota State.  The V-Hawks outscored the Trojans 38-33 in the final twenty minutes of the game.

Daniels led DSU with a game-high 21 points.  He was 8-of-14 from the field, 3-of-7 from the 3-point line and made both free-throws.  Folkers added 17 points (7-of-16 field goals and 3-of-5 from the 3-point arc).  Bobby Farquah scored eight points off the bench (4-of-6 field goals).  Josh McGreal tallied six points.

Daniels pulled down seven rebounds in the game for Dakota State.  He also contributed six assists.  Folkers and Arrington each registered six rebounds.  Farquah recorded two blocks.

Keeon Johnson produced four assists for the Trojans.  Elder added three assists.  Johnson, Daniels and Farquah each had a steal.

Four VU players scored in double digits, led by Jared Fleischmann with 15 points (4-of-8 field goals and 6-of-7 free-throws).  Cullin Neeck scored 14 points off the bench.  Jason Tichy had 12 points.  Ethan Haberman tallied 11 points.

Cade Anderson and Haberman each grabbed seven rebounds for the V-Hawks.  Haberman had four assists and two steals. 

Viterbo shot 46.3 percent from the field, making 25 field goals in 54 attempts.  The Trojans were 24-of-64 from the field.  DSU was 9-of-31 from the 3-point arc compared to VU 7-of-21 3-pointers.

The V-Hawks converted 11-of-15 free-throws.  The Trojans were 2-of-4 from the free-throw line.

VU outrebounded DSU 40-32 in the game.  The V-Hawks outscored the Trojans 28-18 inside the paint and 20-17 in bench points.

Dakota State looks to bounce back in the winning column as they play another North Star contest on the road.  The Trojans visit Waldorf (Iowa) at Hanson Fieldhouse.  Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. in Forest City, Iowa.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director