ABERDEEN, SD – When Jamestown Jimmies Basketball put their teams on the floor Wednesday, they already were making history with their first games in their new conference. Later, one team made happy history for UJ and the other nearly pulled off a miracle comeback.
The Jimmie women won their NSIC debut, defeating Northern State 65-48 at Wachs Arena. Jamestown’s men, trailing by as many as 13 and still by 11 with two minutes to play, fell to NSU 74-71.
Women: Jamestown 65, Northern State 48
Jamestown (3-2, 1-0 NSIC) won its first-ever NSIC game with sterling defense and four double-figure scorers.
Daviney Dreckman scored 15 points, 11 of which came in the first quarter. She also had five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Emily Kurkowski scored 14 points, all after halftime, hitting two three-pointers. Haidyn Crockett tallied 11, including eight in the third quarter. Samantha Paulsen scored 10 points off the bench, with six rebounds and four steals.
Izzy Moore had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals for Northern State (4-2, 0-1).
In a game that remained tight most of the way, Northern State led 37-32 with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter. Crockett then scored eight in a 15-3 run that gave the Jimmies a seven-point lead.
Kurkowski hit a three-pointer with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter for a 52-46 Jamestown lead before Moore scored in the paint for the Wolves 27 seconds later. These would be the final points for the home team.
Kurkowski drained another three with 5:42 left, then layups by Dreckman and Allie Berns stretched the Jamestown lead to 59-48. Kurkowski hit four free throws and Paulsen sank two to finish the scoring.
In the last 6:15, Northern State missed their last eight shots from the floor and two free throws.
The Jimmies will next play on Thursday, December 4 at Minot State.
Men: Northern State 74, Jamestown 71
Very balanced scoring helped Northern State (1-4, 1-0 NSIC) to only their third win in their last 38 games. The Wolves were 2-26 last season, including two losses to Jamestown.
Cameron Mercadel hit five three-pointers for his team-leading 15 points. Ben Bowen and Marshawn Smith each scored 11. Tobi Obiora and James Glenn had 10 points apiece.
Ford Okehi led the Jimmies (2-3, 0-1) in scoring off the bench for the second straight game with 15 points to go with five rebounds. Anthony Walters and Owen Hektner each knocked down 13 points. Davis Walter pulled down nine rebounds.
Jamestown was down 48-38 before scoring eight straight points, ending with a layup and free throw by Walters, for a 48-46 deficit with 12 minutes left in the second half. Northern State bumped the lead to 11 before UJ cut it to six with 6:53 left.
Two three-pointers by Mercadel in a 37-second span made NSU 65-55 leaders with 4:40 left.
With two minutes left, a Smith layup gave the Wolves a 69-58 lead, after which the Jimmies’ desperate rally began.
Two free throws by Henry Meyer, two by Okehi and one by Hektner cut the Jamestown deficit to 69-63.
Walters hit a layup with 33 seconds to play and NSU led 70-65. Hektner sank a three with 25 seconds on the clock and UJ was within 72-68.
Okehi hit a three with four seconds left and the Jimmies were down only 73-71. He fouled Glenn, who hit the first of two free throws. Glenn missed the second and Carson Woodford brought the rebound in. Woodford quickly passed upcourt to Hektner, who heaved the ball from about 10 feet behind the midcourt line. Amazingly, the shot which would have forced overtime was long by a about a foot, bounding off the back rim.
Jamestown will play two games this coming weekend against NSIC opponents, but they will not count as conference games. The first of those will be against Concordia St. Paul Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota in the CSP Thanksgiving Classic. Coverage will begin at 3:30 PM Saturday on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1.