WAYNE, NE – There were those who thought it could take a few years for Jamestown Jimmies Men’s Basketball to have a solo lead in the NSIC North Division.
It only took 10 games.
Jamestown took a one-game lead in the division Saturday by holding on for a 73-70 victory over Wayne State at Rice Auditorium.
The struggle then continued for the Jimmie women, who lost for the seventh straight time, 55-48 to the Wildcats.
Men: Jamestown 73, Wayne State 70
Jamestown expected a battle from a physical and athletic Wayne State team and certainly did receive that, seeing what was a 13-point lead early in the second half reduced to one. Still, Jamestown (9-7, 7-3 NSIC) used big games from top scorers Anthony Walters and Owen Hektner plus big defensive plays to move in front of Minnesota Duluth by one game.
Walters hit three three-pointers and scored 23 points. Hektner was 5-of-7 on threes and poured in 18 points. Off the bench, Ford Okehi had nine points with six rebounds and three assists.
Aurrion Harris scored 17 with 12 rebounds for Wayne State (9-7, 5-5). Matt Noll also scored 17 and Andrew Stokes tallied 16.
Aiden Johnson, Okehi and Walters hit treys in a 21-8 run late in the first half for Jamestown.
JJ Ferrin knocked in a three-pointer for Wayne State with 7:46 left to cut the Jimmies’ lead to 52-50. With 6:11 to play, Harris hit a layup and free throw and WSC was down just 56-55.
UJ built the lead to nine with 41 seconds to go, but Kai Smith hit a three and Harris dropped a layup for a 69-67 Jimmie lead. After that, Walters and Davis Walker hit two free throws each.
Women: Wayne State 55, Jamestown 48
In a game where both teams struggled mightly offensively, Wayne State had the buckets they needed in the fourth quarter to hold off the Jimmies.
Jamestown (4-10, 2-8 NSIC) trailed 7-0 to open the game, but used an Allie Berns layup with 3:11 left in the first half to cut the lead for Wayne State (8-8, 3-7) to 17-16. WSC held on for a 24-22 halftime advantage.
The Jimmies’ first lead happened when Haidyn Crockett hit a three for a 27-24 lead just over a minute into the third quarter. The lead changed hands twice before UJ gained it back and led 39-36 through three quarters.
Samantha Paulsen drove for a layup early in the fourth and Jamestown led for what turned out to be the final time at 41-40. Wayne State scored the next eight points on a layup by Kylah vanDonkoersgoed, a three-pointer by Kelsey Williams and a layup and free throw by vanDonkoersgoed.
Jessika Lofstrom hit a jumper for the Jimmies with 1:22 left and the visitors were down 51-48, but Kelsey Williams and Tenleigh Smith each hit two free throws to lock up the game for the Wildcats.
The losing streak of seven is the longest for Jimmie women’s basketball since the 2018-19 season.
On Friday, UJ will host Concordia St. Paul at Harold Newman Arena in a doubleheader. Coverage will begin at 5:00 PM on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1. Live and archived video will be available on the NSIC Network.