JC edges MSU for top seed

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The Jimmie women needed to earn the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Association of Independent Institutions tournament.

“Earning” it meant beating high-scoring and 15th-ranked Mayville State on its home court Sunday night.

The 18th-ranked Jimmies not only won, but did so convincingly, leading from start to finish in a 70-61 victory to hand the Comets just their fourth loss in 24 games.

“It was a good, quality win for us. (Mayville State) is a good ballclub,” JC women’s coach Greg Ulland. “They had a really good crowd and they were into it. For our girls to handle that environment and just kind of put our head down and go to work was really encouraging.”

As the top seed for the A.I.I. tournament, which begins Friday at the Civic Center, the Jimmies get a first-round bye, meaning they won’t play until Saturday. Complete pairings won’t be released until later today.

The two teams that advance to Sunday’s 2 p.m. championship game automatically qualify for nationals.

The Jimmies put the clamps on the Comets, who entered averaging nearly 85 points per game, good for third in NAIA Division II.

Jamestown College held Mayville State to 24 first-half points and 35 percent shooting for the game.

“We were pretty locked in defensively right from the start. They’re such a good offensive team. (Dennis Hutter) has done such a good job with them. … They’re a tough team to defend, so to keep them right around 60 is getting it done.”

The Jimmies got up by 10 early (17-7) on a hoop by Hannah Steele, who had 11 points and three assists. Bridget Schuneman led 12 JC scorers with 15 points.Carly Jensen was also in double figures with 13 points, including a trio of triples. Amber Ramlo added nine points and seven rebounds.

It was the second quality road win recently for the Jimmies (24-5) after beating Valley City State at the Bubble Jan. 31. They also improved to 14-3 in the new year.

“We want to be playing in these kinds of games this time of year. It’s a lot of fun when there’s a lot at stake. Of course, it’s a lot more fun to win, but it’s just as important to get to the point where we’re starting to peak and really put things together,” Ulland said. “We’re not quite there yet, but we’re getting close and that’s exciting.”

Jamestown College 70, Mayville State 61

Jamestown College 38 32 — 70

Mayville State 24 37 — 61

Jamestown College — Hannah Steele 11, Carly Jensen 13, Kadie Savage 4, Maggie Seter 2, Chelsey Frydenlund 2, Jordan Bridges 3, Jessica Buck 2, Morgan Mathison 3, Kayla Roemmich 5, Amber Ramlo 9, Bridget Schuneman 15, Megan Pold 1. Totals: 21-55 FG, Three-pointers: 4-14 (Jensen 3, Steele), 24-30 FT, 31 Rebounds (Pold 7, Ramlo 7), 8 Assists (Steele 3), 25 Fouls, 19 Turnovers, 10 Steals, 1 Blocked shot.

Mayville State — Samantha Heier 6, Hailey Longtin 17, Liza Hoglo 8, Kay Laforet 6, Missy Kassube 2, Marcisa McMillan 16, Angela Tauer 6. Totals: 19-53 FG, Three-pointers: 5-17 (Longtin 3, McMillan, Tauer), 18-30 FT, 8 Assists (Heier 4), 23 Fouls, 23 Turnovers, 9 Steals, 4 Blocked shots.

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

Tags: college sports, sports, basketball, jimmies