Jimmies hang with UND

GRAND FORKS — On paper, it was viewed as a trap game.

Days away from playing its first season in the Big Sky Conference, UND took on Jamestown College — an NAIA program — Saturday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

The Jimmies, ranked No. 11 in the NAIA, had the trap set. UND took the bait early but managed to escape the upset — pulling away late for a 63-49 win before 1,367 fans.

“It was one of those games when you hope to have a rabbit in your hat and you can pull it out,” UND coach Travis Brewster said. “Jamestown has a good team. It was a tough win; an ugly win. But it was one of those games we needed from the aspect that we had to find a different way to win.”

Jamestown, 11-1, led 26-25 at halftime. And the Jimmies could have had a bigger advantage minus their 18 turnovers. Megan Pold’s basket with 11 1/2 minutes left gave Jamestown a 19-12 advantage. UND was out of sync.

“We really didn’t come out to play in the beginning,” said UND guard Brianna Williams. “They definitely came to play. We knew they’d come to play. In the second half, we knew what to do so we picked it up.”

The game turned on UND’s 10-1 run, which gave North Dakota a 35-30 lead. The key was Nicole Smart’s steal, which the senior guard converted into a three-point play.

UND never trailed by fewer than three points after Smart’s three-point play. Also, UND went to more full-court pressure in the second half and got to the free-throw line consistently in the closing minutes. UND went 21-for-31 from the line, compared to Jamestown’s 6-for-12 showing.

And Jamestown committed 29 turnovers, leading to 20 UND points.

The game also had a subplot.

Jamestown is coached by Greg Ulland, a former UND assistant. Ulland and Brewster both were assistant coaches at UND for a handful of seasons under Gene Roebuck.

“We have a lot of the same ideas and the same principles,” Brewster said.

Emily Evers led UND with 13 points. Megan Lauck finished with 11, while Smart and Williams each finished with 10.

Carly Jensen led Jamestown with 15, while Bridget Schuneman added 10 for the Jimmies, who outrebounded UND 42-34.

The Jimmies play their last home game for a month on Thursday, hosting Briar Cliff (11-2) of Iowa at 6 p.m.

UND 63. Jamestown College 49

Jamestown College 26 23 — 49

UND 25 38 — 63

Jamestown College — Hannah Steele 7, Carly Jensen 15, Morgan Mathison 2, Amber Ramlo 5, Bridget Schuneman 10, Maggie Seter 3, Chelsey Frydenlund 2, Kayla Roemmich 3, Megan Pold 2.

UND — Nicole Smart 10, Madi Buck 6, Brianna Williams 10, Emily Evers 13, Megan Lauck 11, Mia Loyd 5, Caryl Rothfusz 1, Cy’erra Mills 7.

Tags: college sports, und, jimmies, sports