Photo via Jimmie Athletics

JAMESTOWN, ND. (NewsDakota.com) – Senior Mason Walters put on another stellar performance on Wednesday night at Newman Arena as the Jimmies knocked off Hastings 76-61 in the opening round of the GPAC Postseason Tournament.

It was a tightly contested first half as the Jimmies leaned on Walters, who had 13 points in the opening 20 minutes. Hastings, despite foul trouble, trailed by just two points, 30-28, at the break. UJ went 10-12 at the free throw line in the first half.

A quick 5-0 start to the second half, keyed by a three from Marc Kjos, kicked off a much better half of play for the Jimmies. Walters would put up 24 points in the final 20 minutes, finishing just two points shy of his career mark. He also recorded a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds, scoring 37 points, and went 12-13 at the charity stripe. Will Cordes added 15 points and Cole Woodford had 11.

Woodford surpassed 1,000 career points in the second half with a three from the top of the key. The junior becomes the fourth current Jimmies to hit 1,000 career points, joining Kjos, Walters, and Cordes.

UJ shot 49% from the field and 37% from long range while also going 17-22 at the free throw line. Jamestown finished plus 10 on the glass and won the turnover battle by one.

The Jimmies improve to 24-5 on the year with the victory and move on to the GPAC semifinals. Jamestown hosts fifth-seeded Concordia (NE) on Saturday at Newman Arena. Tip time is set for 3:00 PM.