ABERDEEN, S.D. (JimmieAthletics.com) – The University of Jamestown basketball teams wrapped up their regular season slate with a sweep of Presentation College on Saturday in Aberdeen.
The women, finished 16-0 and took the conference tournament’s No. 1-seed, will play again at home on Wednesday night against Waldorf at 7pm. The men got the No. 2-seed and will play Viterbo on Thursday, also at 7pm.
WBB: #8 Jimmies 81, Presentation 57
The eighth-ranked Jimmie women’s basketball team outscored Presentation (S.D.) 20-3 in the second quarter, turning a slim three-point first quarter lead into a 20-point halftime cushion on the way to an 81-57 win Saturday afternoon.
The win gave Jamestown (27-3 overall, 16-0 North Star Athletic Association) its second undefeated conference season in the last three years. UJ was 12-0 in 2015-16, before the NSAA went to balanced scheduling.
Perhaps more impressive than the three second quarter points allowed by the Jimmie defense was the fact that of Presentation’s 14 field goals in the game, 11 of them were three-pointers. The Saints shot just 3-of-25 on two-point shots and were just 14-of-55 (25.5 percent) for the game.
Paige Emmel (SR/Bismarck, ND), one of three Jimmies in double figures, led the way with 16 points and three assists. Jory Mullen(JR/Pierre, SD) added 12 and McKayla Orr (SR/Ypsilanti, ND) 10. Orr surpassed the 1000 point mark in her career, becoming the 21st Jimmie to do so. Mackensi Higlin (FR/Mandan, ND) and Mercedes Baumgartner (FR/Bismarck, ND) both had nine points off the bench, and Marina Nowak (JR/Rogers, MN) grabbed eight rebounds to go along with her six points.
Jamestown led 23-20 after one, and the Saints’ last field goal in the opening quarter came at the 4:28 mark. Presentation did not score again until 6:28 remained in the half, going 8 minutes without a point. UJ held the Saints to 1-of-14 overall shooting and 1-of-7 from three-point range in the second.
The Saints’ first two-point field goal came with 5:09 in the first quarter, and their second did not come until the 5:43 mark of the fourth, a span of 29 minutes and 26 seconds.
Allison Cox led Presentation (12-14, 8-8 NSAA) with 30 points, including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Leannah Vitalis had 10 points off the bench.
MBB: #23 Jimmies 76, Presentation 71
Leighton Sampson (SR/Worthington, Minn.) posted a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebound to help lead the 23rd-ranked Jimmie men’s basketball team to a 76-71 win over Presentation (S.D.) Saturday evening.
Jamestown (20-9 overall, 9-7 North Star Athletic Association) will enter the postseason conference tournament as the number two seed by way of tiebreaker, and will host seventh seed Viterbo (Wis.) on Thursday.
Jon Purintun (JR/Linton, N.D.) added 13 points and 4 assists off the bench, while Sam Johnson (SR/Mora, Minn.) and Kevin Oberweiser(JR/Drummond, Mont.) finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Jimmies led by as many as 14 in the first half after a Jack Talley(FR/Sioux Falls, S.D.) basket made it 23-9 with 8:29 in the half. The Saints stormed back with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 23-20 with 6:05 before halftime. UJ finished the half scoring 16 of the final 25 points and took a 39-29 lead into the break.
A Jake Reuther (SO/Jamestown, N.D.) three-pointer gave the Jimmies their biggest lead, 50-33, with 15:15 left in the game. A 12-3 Presentation run closed the gap to eight points just under four minutes later, and another run saw the Saints trail by just five, 56-51, with 9:44 remaining.
UJ responded with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to open up a 14-point edge, and the Saints would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Julius Jackon had 17 points to lead Presentation (12-15, 6-10 NSAA). Marcus Gatlin finished with 15 and Quadre Lollis 10. Mychal Deas came off the bench to add eight points and eight rebounds.