JAMESTOWN – The University of Jamestown basketball teams are on different short-term trajectories heading into the NSAA Basketball Championships.
UJ’s women ended a discouraging final regular season weekend with a 65-59 loss Saturday to Bellevue at Harold Newman Arena. The men looked very sharp for the second straight game in a 75-50 win over the Bruins.
Women: Bellevue 65, Jamestown 59
The Jimmies ended the regular season under .500 in conference play, having dropped five of their last eight games.
Poor shooting doomed Jamestown (17-8, 7-8 NSAA) in this game, with only 30 percent of field goals made. Still, the game was tied at 28-28 on a Kate Cordes shot 37 seconds into the third quarter before the Bruins (15-12, 7-8) took charge with a 20-3 run, highlighted by three three-pointers by Gabby Moore.
Jamestown came as close as four points in the last minute, but fell for the first time in seven meetings with Bellevue.
Ashtyn Arnold scored 23 points with 11 rebounds for Bellevue. Moore hit four threes and tallied 18.
Cordes scored 19 for the Jimmies with five rebounds and four assists. Jessika Lofstrom hit four three-pointers, scoring 18 with six rebounds. Jailyn Martinson scored eight points off the bench with a career-high 10 rebounds.
Jamestown is the third seed for the NSAA Women’s Basketball Championship and will host sixth seed Dickinson State in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday at Harold Newman Arena. Coverage will begin at 6:30 PM on Wednesday on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1. A win in that game for the Jimmies would send them to a semifinal game at Mayville State on Saturday, March 1.
Men: Jamestown 75, Bellevue 50
The Jimmies completed a regular season sweep of the Bruins with strong offense and steady defense, which forced Bellevue into three scoreless stretches that lasted at least four minutes.
Jamestown (16-10, 11-4 NSAA) turned a 6-5 deficit into a 14-6 lead in the first of those segments in the first half as part of a 19-2 run. Four Jimmies scored in double figures. Anthony Walters pumped in 19 points with three three-pointers. Silas Bennion, one of six seniors saluted, scored 16 points with five rebounds and four assists. Owen Hektner, after nailing five three-pointers Friday in a win over Dakota State, hit four more on Saturday with 14 points. Spencer Barr hit three three-pointers had tallied 10.
TJ Fritz led Bellevue (12-16, 4-11 NSAA) with 11 points, but the Bruins lost their eighth consecutive game and the Jimmies registered their largest margin of victory this season.
For the NSAA Men’s Basketball Championship, UJ is the second seed, meaning that it earns a bye through the quarterfinal round and will host a semifinal game against either Mayville State or Dakota State on Saturday, March 1 at Harold Newman Arena, with tipoff set for 1:00 PM and coverage on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1.