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CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com)- Top 25 matchup lived up to the billing Friday night in Valley City as No. 6 University of Jamestown edged No. 19 Valley City State University, 53-52.
The thrilling game pitted the top two teams in North Star Athletic Association women’s basketball, and at the end of the night it was Jamestown that survived the hard-fought contest unscathed in conference play.
With Jamestown leading 53-50 and nine seconds on the clock, Jimmie senior guard Bryn Woodside missed two free throws which gave the Vikings a chance to force overtime. Viking guard Kennedy Henningsgard corralled the rebound and raced up the floor to score a quick layup with one second remaining, but Jamestown was able to inbounds the ball and run out the clock for a 53-52 win.
Jamestown takes sole possession of first place in the North Star Athletic Association, improving to 14-2 overall and 5-0 in the NSAA. The loss is Valley City State’s first of the season as the Vikings fall to 10-1 overall and 3-1 in the NSAA.
Valley City State struck first in the game, taking advantage of cold Jimmie shooting to take a 15-8 lead after the first quarter. The Vikings led by as many as nine, 19-10, before Jamestown came storming back with a 13-0 run to take a 23-19 advantage.
Jamestown went just 1-for-10 from 3-point range in the opening quarter, but shot 5-for-6 from deep in the second. The Jimmies outscored VCSU 24-11 in the second quarter and took a 32-26 lead into the locker room.
The Jimmies scored the first five points of the second half, opening up their biggest lead of the game at 37-26. The Vikings scored the next eight points to pull within 37-34 before a Paige Emmel 3-pointer ended the Viking run. Jamestown ended the third quarter with a 45-39 lead. From there, the teams had to fight for every basket, combined to score just 21 fourth-quarter points – including just four points in the first 4 minutes of the quarter.
VCSU had chances to tie or take the lead in the fourth but could get closer than 47-46. Trailing 47-41 with 5:15 remaining, Henningsgard fueled a quick 5-0 run with a 3-pointer and a steal that led to a Hannah Schlecht fast-break layup. Jamestown was able to push the lead back to 51-46 on a 3-point play by McKayla Orr, and then hung on in the final minute.
Valley City State shot 33 percent from the field (21-63), 23 percent on 3’s (3-13) and 78 percent at the line (7-9). Jamestown also finished the game at 33 percent overall (17-51), shot 36 percent on 3’s (9-25) and 53 percent at the line (10-19).
Lexi Lennon scored 16 points to lead the Viking offense. Mackenzie Huber had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Henningsgard added 10 points and five rebounds. Alli Vandal pulled down 11 rebounds in the game, including four offensive boards. Hannah Schlecht had six points and six rebounds off the bench.
Paige Emmel hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for Jamestown. McKayla Orr scored 10 points and Allison Jablonsky added eight off the bench. Jamestown’s height and length inside caused issues early for the Vikings and Jimmie Jenna Doyle finished with three blocks.
VCSU did a good job handling Jamestown’s pressure defense, only committing 12 turnovers. Jamestown turned the ball over 15 times. VCSU held a 41-32 advantage on the glass, including a 14-7 edge in offensive rebounds.
Up next: Valley City State (10-1, 3-1 NSAA) hosts Presentation College on Saturday at 3 p.m. Jamestown (14-2, 5-0 NSAA) has two weeks off before traveling to Briar Cliff on Dec. 29.