Jimmies, Vikings split: Sparkling first half lifts JC women to win

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Regardless of the sport, games between the Jimmies and Vikings are almost universally tight.

Wednesday night, at least for the women’s game, it was not.

Jamestown College, ranked 14th in the latest NAIA top 25, led from start to finish in a dominating 81-64 victory over the 24th-ranked Vikings.

It was the 20th win of the season for Jamestown College, but few have been more impressive. Playing in the always-tuned up Bubble, the Jimmies led by a whopping 25 points at halftime (47-22) and never looked back. It’s the fifth straight season the Jimmies have won 20 games.

The Vikings were more competitive in the second half, but the game was never in doubt.

“You hate it say it, but that first half was as close to perfect as we can get,” coach Greg Ulland said. “We contested every shot, we rebounded extremely well and we made shots.”

Ulland was slightly disappointed with the second half, where they allowed 42 points, but the positives heavily outweighed the negatives.

“We slipped a little in the second half. We didn’t finish. We didn’t play a full 40 minutes, but to get a road win over a quality team we’ll certainly take it,” Ulland said.

The Jimmies (20-4) shot a blistering 64 percent (16-25) in the first half, getting contributions from virtually the entire roster.

“Everybody was a threat. I thought we moved the ball pretty well. Hannah (Steele) did a really nice job distributing and getting us in the right spots,” Ulland said. “That’s what we want; everybody playing their role and looking to be aggressive.”

Eleven Jimmies scored and eight had six points or more. Steele had a strong night with 17 points and a game-high six assists. Bridget Schuneman was also in double figures with 14.

Brittany Lehner led the Vikings (18-5) with 17 points. Alyssa Hummel added 14.

VCSU 69, JC 64

The No. 22 Viking men earned a split by holding off a spirited late JC rally.

Valley City State (18-5) led by 15 with less than eight minutes left in the game, but the Jimmies (11-14) chipped away. They got within 65-61 on a Mark Hoge hoop with 2:30 to play, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback.

“I was really proud of our guys,” coach Justin Wieck said. “I thought it was a good, old fashioned basketball game between two good teams.

“We really battled in the second half and made a nice run on the road against a ranked team.”

The Jimmies struggled to just 23 first-half points, but got it going in the second half with 41 points.

“It’s kind of like an NBA series. We’ve seen them twice and we’re probably see them two more times on our home floor,” Wieck said.

The Vikings made 10 3-pointers in the game in helping stave off the late JC rally.

Both teams had three players in double figures.

Davon Thomas’ double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds led the Jimmies. Mark Hoge added 17 and Breshion Tucker had 11 points and dished out five assists. Beny Collins provided a nice spark off the bench with six points and 10 rebounds, including five offensive.

The two teams will meet again in six days in Jamestown, but first the Jimmies head to Madison, S.D., to face Dakota State on Saturday.

Jamestown College 81, Valley City State 64

Jamestown College 47 34 — 81

Valley City State 22 42 — 64

Jamestown College — Amber Ramlo 2, Bridget Schuneman 14, Hannah Steele 17, Carly Jensen 8, Morgan Mathison 6, Kadie Savage 4, Maggie Seter 6, Chelsey Frydenlund 1, Jordan Bridges 8, Kayla Roemmich 8, Megan Pold 8. Totals: 23-50 FG, Three-pointers: 7-22 (Steele 2, Jensen 2, Mathison 2, Seter), 22-38 FT, 35 Rebounds (Ramlo 6), 20 Fouls, 16 Assists (Steele 6), 11 Turnovers, 4 Blocked shots (Bridges 2), 7 Steals (Roemmich 2, Steele 2).

Valley City State — Brittany Lehner 17, Alyssa Hummel 14, Katelyn Ralston 9, Courtney Titus 7, Sadiqah Jihad 4, Sierra Even 2, Ashli Lee 2, Stephanie Pedersen 1, Kelsey Hunter 6, Courtney Dixon 2. Totals: 21-56 FG, Three-pointers: 10-21 (Ralston 3, Titus 2, Even 2, Jihad, Ettl, Pedersen), 21-25 FT, 31 Rebounds (Titus 6), 24 Fouls (Titus 5, Jihad 5), 11 Assists (Jihad 3), 14 Turnovers, 1 Blocked shot (Lee), 7 Steals (Jihad 3).

Valley City State 69, Jamestown College 64

Jamestown College 23 41 — 64

Valley City State 32 37 — 69

Jamestown College — Dan Janu 2, Breshion Tucker 11, Taylor Newton 6, Davon Thomas 10, Mark Hoge 17, Jared Sutherland 3, Beny Collins 6. Totals: 23-63 FG, Three-pointers: 6-23 (Thomas 3, Hoge 2, Tucker), 12-15 FT, 41 Rebounds (Thomas 10, Collins 10), 17 Fouls, 10 Assists (Tucker 5), 15 Turnovers, 2 Blocked shots (Janu, Hoge), 4 Steals (Hoge 3).

Valley City State — Dillan Ostrom 8, Gus Kueber 6, John Raquel 12, Aaron Duske 13, Sekani Milligen 17, A.J. McDonald 8, Christopher Emden 2, Patrick Rogers 3. Totals: 24-46 FG, Three-pointers: 10-24 (Milligen 3, Duske 2, Kueber 2, McDonald 2, Rogers), 11-19 FT, 27 Rebounds (Milligen 5), 17 Fouls, 12 Assists (Raquel 3), 12 Turnovers, 5 Steals (Raquel 2).

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jimmies, basketball