SIOUX FALLS, SD – Winning is never as easy as it may look, and the latest win above their weight class was a pure fight for Jamestown Jimmies Men’s Basketball.
On Saturday, Jamestown surged to two 14-point leads before holding on for a 75-70 win over Augustana in the Bill Gross Classic at the Elmen Center.
The victory was the third this season for Jamestown (4-5) against a future NSIC opponent and the first win ever in seven meetings for the Jimmies against the Vikings in men’s basketball.
Blazing three-point shooting in the first 6:26 helped the Jimmies to a 19-12 lead. Jamestown hit their first five three-point shots, from Silas Bennion, Will Cordes, Anthony Walters, another by Cordes and a second by Walters, in the opening run.
Spencer Barr followed with a three-pointer and a layup for a 26-12 Jimmie lead with 10:20 left in the first half. Through most of the rest of the first half, Jamestown maintained a double-digit lead, though Augustana (3-4) was within 38-30 at halftime.
Akoi Akoi hit a jumper in the paint with 12:59 left to cut the Jamestown advantage to 48-47, but the Jimmies strung together a 21-8 run over the next six minutes, culminating with a transition three-pointer by Owen Hektner and Jamestown led by 14 again, 69-55 with 6:40 to play.
Augustana was as close as the final margin of five on a Tanner Te Slaa three with 20 seconds left.
Bennion led Jamestown in scoring with 16, hitting three three-pointers, but also had four assists, four steals and three rebounds. Cordes dropped in 14 with two three-pointers, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Jimmy Llinas had his second double-double in as many days and his 10th as a Jimmie, with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked four shots for the second straight game, had two assists and was six-of-eight shooting. In his last four games, Llinas is 27-of-32 from the field. Hektner and Cole Glasgow scored nine points each and Anthony Walters tallied eight.
Akoi paced Augustana with 23 points on nine-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and a block. Sam Rensch scored 14 for the Vikings. Te Slaa, Bennett Fried and Kelton Coleman each put up 10 points.
Jamestown shot a season-best 51 percent from the field and nailed 11-of-17 three-pointers, including six of their first seven. They made eight of nine free throws and are 73 for their last 86 (85%) on free throws.
The Jimmies will step aside from play for final exams and next compete in the NSAA opener with Dickinson State on Friday, December 13 at Harold Newman Arena. That will be the back half of a doubleheader with the Jimmie women first playing the Blue Hawks. Coverage on December 13 will begin at 5:00 PM on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1.