By Taylor Hilton Journal correspondent
RAPID CITY --- In a game which was spent exchanging leads throughout the first half and late into the second half, Valley City State dominated the final stretch behind the clutch offensive performance of Daraeon Spencer.
The Vikings outscored Mines, 43-32, in the second half to pull away for a 75-66 Dakota Athletic Conference win over the Hardrockers on Friday at Goodell Gymnasium.
The Hardockers were incapable of stopping a Vikings team that looked flawless during the last seven minutes of play.
"They got physical with us and we didn't handle it very well," Mines head coach Jason Henry said. "They hit shots and made some free throws. We fouled the right guy, but the kid shoots 6-for-8."
The first half of the game was neck and neck, in fact, SD School of Mines (11-13 overall, 3-7 DAC) began the game with an 8-0 run.
Valley City State (17-8, 8-3) countered with a run of its own, stemming from the perimeter play of Calvin Kraft. With just seconds remaining, Mines' Robbie Fedor was fouled behind the 3-point arc and netted 2-of-3 free throws to knot the game 34-34 heading into halftime.
The South Dakota School of Mines men's basketball team had no answer for Valley City State in the second half.
Spencer had a game-high 21 points, including 14 in the second-half. It was a team effort which shut down the steady Hardrocker offensive attack as well.
"We have a pretty good team. In situations where games are on the line there's a few things you have to do," Valley City State head coach Jeff Kaminsky said. "We played some really good defense and really took a lot away from what they were trying to do there. We had some key stops and made our free throws. That's the secret to winning down the line."
The Hardrockers were led by the play of Kyle Turpin and Kyle Doerr under the basket. The frontcourt duo scored 14 and 13 points, respectively.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology hosts conference opponent Jamestown today.
