From Jimmie Athletics

HELENA, Mont. (jimmiepride.com)– The Jimmie women’s basketball team had its national tournament run end with a 73-60 loss to No. 11 Carroll College Wednesday evening in the championship game of the Helena Bracket of the NAIA National Championship – First and Second Round.

UJ finishes the season with a 22-9 record while Carroll improves to 27-5 and moves on to Sioux City, Iowa, and the final site.

Kia Tower paced the Jimmies with 22 points, one of three players reaching double digits for Jamestown. Hannah DeMars finished with 16 points and Kate Cordes had 11 points off the bench.

Four different Jimmies made a three-pointer and DeMars added a pair of field goals to help UJ take a 16-12 lead after the first quarter. The Saints tied the score at 18 with 6:19 left in the half, then Jamestown went on a 13-0 run lasting just over three-and-a-half minutes. UJ’s lead remained at 11 points going into the break.

DeMars opened the second half with a basket to extend the Jimmie lead to 13, and the Saints trailed by nine at the seven-minute mark. However, UJ went scoreless for nearly three minutes, during which time Carroll reeled off 10 straight points to make it a 40-39 game. The teams traded baskets as the quarter came to a close with Tower giving Jamestown a 52-49 lead with a pair of free throws at the 0:17 mark. Erica Nessan made a three with five seconds left to tie the game at 52 going into the final quarter.

The Saints outscored Jamestown 21-8 over the last ten minutes, and UJ went the last 7:51 without a field goal. Tower sank a three-pointer to make it 56-55 and that would be as close as the Jimmies would get.

DeMars pulled down a team-high five rebounds and four steals. Cordes passed out four assists and Tower recorded three steals.