JAMESTOWN – Very few shooting performances have rivaled what Valley City State guard Ashlyn Diemert did Saturday.
Diemert set a program record with 39 points and 11 made three-pointers as VCSU shocked the University of Jamestown in women’s basketball 91-75 at Harold Newman Arena. Jamestown’s men followed with their sixth consecutive win, 72-56 over VCSU.
Women: VCSU 91, (24)Jamestown 75
Diemert broke the previous school record of 38 points, set by Mallory Undlin in 2007. She broke her own school record for made three-pointers in a game, having made eight in one game last season. She also set a program record for most made threes in one game without a miss.
VCSU (10-9, 2-5 NSAA) scored at least 22 points in every quarter. Diemert’s second three capped a 16-6 run in the first quarter that turned a Jamestown lead of 11-6 into a Viking lead of 22-16. VCSU led 22-19 after one quarter.
The last lead of the game for Jamestown (14-4, 4-3) came on a three-pointer by Jessika Lofstrom with 7:08 left in the first half. Following that, Diemert had three threes, Ellie Braaten had one and and Elyse Hebrink had another in an 18-5 run that put VCSU on top 42-29. The Vikings’ halftime lead was 45-33.
VCSU led by 23 points twice in the third quarter, but Jamestown put together an 18-2 run, capped by a Hali Savela three-pointer, that cut the Viking lead to 70-63 with 6:54 left. But Diemert hit her eighth, ninth and 10th three-balls in a 16-5 run that clinched the game for Valley City State.
All five VCSU starters scored in double figures. Abby Aslesen had 15, JayCee Richter scored 13 with five rebounds and five assists, Ellie Braaten came close to a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Hebrink also scored 10.
Kate Cordes led Jamestown with 18 points. Lofstrom scored 14 and Hannah Hagel had 10.
VCSU broke an 11-game losing streak to Jamestown. The Vikings hadn’t beaten the Jimmies since a 67-55 win at Harold Newman Arena on November 5, 2018.
Men: Jamestown 72, VCSU 56
Jamestown (11-7, 6-1 NSAA) scored the first eight points of the game and led 15-3 after six and a half minutes in breezing to a sixth consecutive win, the Jimmies’ longest such streak since a seven-game winning streak last season.
Jamestown led 44-24 at halftime as VCSU, playing without regular starters Lamar Grayson and Shaheed Muhammad, never came close again.
Jimmy Llinas earned his second straight double-double, scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds to lead UJ. Owen Hektner scored 13. Carson Woodford set career-highs with eight points and 11 rebounds. Anthony Walters also scored eight points.
Caden Grinde scored 16 points with six rebounds for VCSU (10-9, 1-6). Odier Olange had 10.
The Jimmies beat the Vikings for the eighth straight time.
VCSU will next play Friday at Mayville State, with coverage of the doubleheader beginning at 5:00 PM on Q101. Jamestown will play at Dakota State on Friday and coverage will begin at 5:00 PM on Jamestown 107.1.
photo credit: Valley City State University Athletics