Montana Western MW 3-2

VCSU Vikings VCSU 4-2

Montana Western MW

3-2

Final

Nov. 21, 2025

VCSU Vikings VCSU

4-2

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Montana Western MW	21	9	17	19	66
VCSU Vikings VCSU	18	12	13	19	62

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | November 21, 2025 | Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

Bulldog WBB Holds on for Gritty 66-62 Victory Over Valley City State

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – The Montana Western women's basketball program (3-2, 1-0 FC) defeated Valley City State (4-2, 1-1 FC) 66-62 Friday evening in its first conference matchup of the 2025-26 season.

Neither team led by more than eight points in a game that saw 11 ties and 11 lead changes over four quarters.

"Getting road wins in our conference is going to be big for seeding and ultimately getting into the conference tournament," head coach Ryan Sullivan said. "Obviously, turnovers for us were a problem tonight. We are playing well defensively and then just hand the ball back to the other team too much. We have a lot of kids that don't have a ton of minutes under their belt, so I feel with time we will have those cleaned up. Valley is a good team with some really good players so it's nice to come in and win."

STAT BREAKDOWN
Western shot 38.6 percent (22-57) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-19) from beyond the arc, and 80.0 percent (16-20) from the foul line.

The Bulldogs pulled down 37 rebounds while registering 11 assists, four steals, and one block in the contest.

NOTABLES
Bailee Sayler drained five of the teams six made threes and shot over 60 percent for the third time this year.

Isabella Lund dished out at least four assists for the third time on the campaign.

Three Bulldogs shot over 40.0 percent from the floor.

The Bulldogs held an opponent under 20.0 percent shooting from distance for the second time this season.

LEADERBOARD
Bailee Sayler tied for the game high with 22 points, followed by Keke Davis (12) and Isabella Lund (11).

Kyle Pancost pulled down a game-best eight boards. Lund dished out a team-high four assists.

Lund, Davis, Gio Horner, and Brooke Deyak each snagged one steal for the Bulldogs while Sayler earned the lone block of the game for UMW.

GAME SUMMARY
The hosts opened the game with an 8-0 run, but the Bulldogs pulled even by midway through the first period. Western held a narrow 21-18 lead at the break.

The two sides turned up the pressure defensively in the second quarter, and the game was knotted at 30 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

UMW shot 34.6 percent (9-26) from the floor, 14.2 percent (1-7) from deep, and 91.7 percent (11-12) from the line in the first half.

The second half continued in a similar manner, however the Bulldogs managed to lead by as many as six with a minute left in the third. They were up four, 47-43, leading into the final frame.

Western built up an eight-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings were not going down without a fight, tying the game at 60 with just over a minute left in regulation. Clutch free throws from Davis and Sayler down the stretch helped UMW hold on for the win.

THE OPPOSITION
The Vikings shot 31.6 percent (24-76) from the field, 18.5 percent (5-27) from three, and 56.3 percent (9-16) from the charity stripe in the contest. They posted 34 rebounds, 12 assists, five blocks, and eight steals. Ellie Braaten shared the game-high with 22 points and led the game in assists with five. Abby Aslesen grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Tiyana Schwinghammer swatted a game-best three blocks. Aslesen and Schwinghammer each tallied two steals to lead the game.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs return to action tomorrow (11/22) when they face off against Mayville State. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. MT/ 5 p.m. CT.

For complete coverage of UMW Women's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_wbb (Instagram), @umw_wbb (X), and @Montana Western Athletics (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

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