February 24, 2025
BISMARCK, N.D. – Valley City State (N.D.) swept the seventeenth and final edition of the 2024-25 North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Players-of-the-Week awards. JayCee Richter was selected as the Offense Player-of-the-Week, while her teammate Abby Aslesen was named as the Defense Player-of-the-Week.
North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Week – Offense
JayCee Richter – Valley City State (N.D.) – 5’7” – Junior – guard – Linton, N.D. – Richter posted a season-high 29 points as Valley City State (N.D.) earned a 76-67 regular-season finale victory at Mayville State (N.D.). She shot 12-of-22 field goals (54.5 percent), including 4-of-8 from the 3-point line. Richter also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists in the game.
North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Week – Defense
Abby Aslesen – Valley City State (N.D.) – 6’0” – Freshman – forward – Howard, S.D. – Aslesen helped Valley City State (N.D.) to a 76-67 win over Mayville State (N.D.) to round out the NSAA regular season schedule. She totaled 11 rebounds, with eight defensive rebounds. Aslesen also stole the ball twice in the game.
Recap from last week’s games
Dakota State (S.D.), ranked No. 8 in the latest NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 national poll, wrapped up their regular season schedule with five straight wins after a pair of road victories. The Trojans defeated (RV) Jamestown (N.D.) 73-63 on Feb. 21, followed by a 93-74 win at Dickinson State (N.D.) on Feb. 22. Dakota State is 22-4 overall record and finished the conference schedule with a 14-1 record.
Bellevue (Neb.) also went 2-0 record for the week in North Dakota. The Bruins held off the Blue Hawks 65-56 on Feb. 21 and defeated the Jimmies 65-59 to improve their overall record to 15-12. Bellevue and Jamestown finished in a two-way tie for third in the conference standings with 7-8 record each. UJ is 17-9 overall record on the season, while DiSU fell to 8-18 overall record and 3-12 NSAA conference record (6
th in the conference standings).
Valley City State (N.D.) earned a 76-67 road victory at Mayville State (N.D.) in the final North Star conference contest on Feb. 21. The Vikings are 14-13 overall record and 6-9 NSAA conference record (5
th in the conference standings). The Comets are 18-9 overall record and 8-7 record in the league.
Looking Ahead This Week
The North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Postseason Tournament kicks off Wednesday with a pair of quarterfinal contests. No. 6 seed Dickinson State (N.D.) travels to No. 3 seed Jamestown (N.D.), while No. 4 seed Bellevue (Neb.) hosts No. 5 seed Valley City State (N.D.).
The semifinals take place on Saturday with No. 2 seed Mayville State (N.D.) welcoming the winner of DiSU-UJ game. No. 1 seed Dakota State (S.D.) hosts the winner of VCSU-BU on the same day.
The NSAA Championship game is set for Tuesday, March 4, at the highest remaining seed at 7 p.m. tentatively.
Wednesday’s Games – NSAA Quarterfinals
Dickinson State (N.D.) @ (RV) Jamestown (N.D.) – 7 p.m.
Valley City State (N.D.) @ Bellevue (Neb.) – 7 p.m.
Saturday’s Games – NSAA Semifinals
DiSU-UJ winner @ Mayville State (N.D.) – 11 a.m.
VCSU-BU winner @ (8) Dakota State (S.D.) – 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 7 – NSAA Championship
Saturday’s semifinal winners @ highest remaining seed – 7 p.m. (tentatively)
NSAA Women’s Basketball Conference Standings
| School |
Overall
Record |
NSAA
Record |
Games
Behind |
Streak |
| (8) Dakota State (S.D.) |
22-4 |
14-1 |
---- |
Won 5 |
| Mayville State (N.D.) |
18-9 |
8-7 |
6.0 |
Lost 1 |
| (RV) Jamestown (N.D.) |
17-9 |
7-8 |
7.0 |
Lost 2 |
| Bellevue (Neb.) |
15-12 |
7-8 |
7.0 |
Won 2 |
| Valley City State (N.D.) |
14-13 |
6-9 |
8.0 |
Won 1 |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) |
8-18 |
3-12 |
11.0 |
Lost 3 |