Hawks at the horn: DSU nips Jimmies in DAC opener
Tevin Hurd had told Dickinson State coach Ty Orton he was done shooting threes. Luckily for the Blue Hawks, he took one more. The junior from Fairfield, Calif., buried the go-ahead triple with 7.5 seconds left as the Blue Hawks got out of Jamestown with a hard-earned 56-55 DAC victory Thursday night at the Civic Center.
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Tevin Hurd had told Dickinson State coach Ty Orton he was done shooting threes.
Luckily for the Blue Hawks, he took one more.
The junior from Fairfield, Calif., buried the go-ahead triple with 7.5 seconds left as the Blue Hawks got out of Jamestown with a hard-earned 56-55 DAC victory Thursday night at the Civic Center.
The Jimmies had an open look of their own to win it late, but Byron Jones was off the mark from the corner at the buzzer.
“That was about as hard-fought a game as you’ll see,” said DSU coach Ty Orton. “I thought both teams played their absolute guts out. I’m tired just from watching it.”
Hurd’s late game-winner was an appropriate ending to the first conference game for both teams. The biggest lead for either team was four points and it was tied 16 times.
It also lacked flow with sticky defense on both sides and a bunch of fouls — each team was whistled for 25 infractions.
“Defensively, I thought our guys were really sound,” said JC coach Matt Murken said. “In conference games, it comes down to a play here and a play there. They made one more play than we did.”
The Jimmies (0-1 DAC, 5-3 overall) shot themselves in the foot at the line, missing 11 of their 23 attempts. Still, when Jones nailed a three-ball with 3:10 to play it put JC up 53-50.
But John Hanstad had the critical answer. The former Midget hit the final of his five triples to tie it at 53-all with 2:05 left.
Travis Burley and C.J. Peeters each made front-ends from the foul line in the final 55 seconds, but missed the second attempt, giving DSU an opening.
Hurd took it.
A fake pass by Hurd to ace shooter Nate Lebsock took two JC defenders to the DSU sniper, leaving Hurd all alone. He rose up and buried it.
“Tevin told me he was done shooting threes,” Orton said. “But to his credit he stepped up and knocked it down in a pressure situation. To beat a team like Jamestown, you need guys to make big plays when the game is on the line, and he did.”
The Jimmies held Lebsock to just two makes in 14 attempts. Matt Lee, the Blue Hawks’ best banger inside, finished with just seven points and was saddled with foul trouble all night.
But Hanstad came through with a game-high 18 points, including five of six from deep.
“We held Lebsock and Lee to three of 16, but we left Hanstad open a few times and he made them hurt,” Murken said.
The Jimmies had to go the length of the court on their final possession in just 7.5 seconds. Jacquez Williams weaved through traffic, had the ball knocked away, only to regain control and find Jones open, but the shot to win it was short as time expired.
“What can you say, other than that’s basketball. We certainly don’t want to leave Byron open like that — ever,” Orton said. “We got a break, but we’ll take it.”
Freshman Mark Hoge led the Jimmies with a team-high 17 points off the bench. Chris Lawrence also was in double figures with 16 points in a rare reserve role.
“We can’t dwell on this one. We didn’t expect to win them all,” Murken said. “When you’re playing in a back-to-back situation you just have to move on and get ready for the next one.”
The Jimmies host Minot State tonight. The Blue Hawks (1-0, 6-5) head to Valley City to face the Vikings.
Dickinson State 56, Dickinson State 55
Dickinson State 29 27 — 56
Jamestown College 30 25 — 55
Dickinson State: Matt Lee 7, Dano Fagerlund 2, Nate Lebsock 14, Tevin Hurd 3, John Hanstad 18, Derek Pauley 9, Jarek Hanson 3. Totals: 14-40 FG, Three-pointers: 7-21 (Hanstad 5, Hansen, Hurd), 21-27 FT, 26 Rebounds (Derek Pauley 6), 25 Fouls (Lee 5), 7 Assists (Lee 3), 9 Steals (3 with 2).
Jamestown College: Travis Burley 9, Brandon Robbins 2, C.J. Peeters 3, Bryon Jones 4, Chris Lawrence 16, Mark Hoge 17, Dustin Herrmann 2, David Steege 2. Totals: 19-48 FG, Three-pointers: Hoge 3, Jones, Lawrence), 12-23 FT, 33 Rebounds (Robbins 4, Peeters 4, Lawrence 4), 25 Fouls, 9 Assists (Jacquez Williams 6), 21 Turnovers, 2 Blocked shots (Robbins, Hoge), 9 Steals (Lawrence 3, Williams 3).
Records: Dickinson State 1-0 DAC, 6-5 overall; Jamestown College 0-1 DAC, 5-3 overall.
Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at daves@jamestownsun.com
Tags: sports, jimmies, jc, basketball, men, dac
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