Mayville, N.D. – The Mayville State University Men's Basketball team defeated Valley City State University by a final score of 78-67 Friday night. The Comets move to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play.

The Comets started of the gates quickly, as they took an 11-2 run that lasted over the first three minutes and forced a Viking timeout. The Comets continued to extend the lead, as they lead by 10 with 9:30 left in the first half. The Vikings would cut the lead to three with 6:47 left in the first half. The game was tied at 31 with 3:38 left before finishing the half on a 14-4 run.

The Comets were up 11 about midway through the second half when the Vikings started to make a run. Valley City State would close the gap to three with 7:53 left in the second half. After a fadeaway jumper from Cruz, the Comets would extend the lead to nine over the next four minutes to pick up the 78-67 victory over the Vikings.

Mayville State finished the game shooting 57.1 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from behind the arc, 36 rebounds, and 21 assists on 32 made field goals. MSU also finished with 36 bench points, nine points off turnovers, and four second-chance points. Latrelle Franklin led all scorers with 15 points. He also tallied eight assists, one steal, and three rebounds.

Xavier Towne scored in double figures with 12 points, seven rebounds, and one steal. Najee Brown-Henderson led the bench tonight with 12 points and one rebound. Winder Joseph recorded 10 points, two rebounds, and three assists off the bench. Keiron Goodwin tallied nine points, five rebounds, and two assists in the victory. Iker Cruz tallied eight rebounds, four points, one block, and one steal for the Comets.

The Comets are back in action tomorrow evening as they host Dickinson State for the backend of the conference weekend. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm against the Blue Hawks.