ABERDEEN, SD – University of Jamestown Men’s Basketball Head Coach Casey Bruggeman stressed to his team before Monday night’s game about having plenty of energy, feeling that there wasn’t enough at the start of his team’s conference opening loss to Dickinson State last Friday.
Monday, he saw Northern State have the energy early before his team made an almost unimaginable run.
Jamestown used a 25-0 run in just under nine minutes of the first half to turn a six-point deficit into a 19-point lead and the Jimmies defeated the Wolves 77-62 at Wachs Arena on Monday.
In fact, Jamestown (5-6) was down 18-4 only 4:12 into the game. After that, the Jimmies outscored NSU 40-8 over the next 14 minutes.
The game was basically decided with that 25-0 run, which began with 11:13 left in the half on the third three-pointer of the first half by Ayden Stainbrook. His fourth three 1:21 later tied the game at 23-23. Silas Bennion canned another three with 9:17 left and the Jimmies took a 26-23 lead and would not relinquish it.
Jimmy Llinas dunked, then Cole Glasgow hit a three-pointer and Anthony Walters hit two. Will Cordes hit another three and Walters scored in the paint to end the astounding run, which encompassed eight minutes and 40 seconds and had Jamestown in front 42-23. UJ led 44-29 at halftime. Walters scored 15 and Stainbrook had 14 in the first half.
Northern State (1-9) came within 10 with 7:44 left but never closer as Jamestown defeated NSU for the second time in the same season for the first time since the 1947-48 campaign.
Walters, coming off the bench as usual, scored 18 on seven-of-12 shooting and two three-pointers. He also had three of Jamestown’s 11 steals. Bennion didn’t miss a triple-double by very much, scoring 16, including 11 in the second half, with eight rebounds and seven assists. Stainbrook ended with 14 points, a career high. Glasgow scored 11. Llinas had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double, fifth of the season, and 13th in his three seasons as a Jimmie.
Marcus Burks and Braeden VanBockern each had 16 points to lead Northern State, which has its worst 10-game start in 106 years. The Wolves also started 1-9 in 1918-19.
Jamestown shot 46 percent from the floor and 12-of-30 threes for 40 percent.
The Jimmies will next play on Sunday, December 29 in the Hoop City Classic against Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, South Dakota. Coverage will begin on December 29 at 1:30 PM on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1.