The Jimmies hung around for a half, but in the end the Bison had too much firepower.
North Dakota State posted a 79-49 exhibition victory over Jamestown College on Monday night at the Bison Sports Arena.
Despite the 30-point loss, Jimmies coach Mark Wiest was pleased with what he saw from his team, especially in the first 20 minutes, against the NCAA Division I Bison.
"I thought we played a pretty good first half," said Wiest, whose team was within 38-26 at the intermission. "We were pretty solid at both ends of the floor. They had a hard time defending some of the things we were doing on offense. Defensively, I thought we were all right. We just put them at the free throw line too much."
The Bison, picked to finish third in the Summit League, opened up the lead at the start of the second half, building a 64-36 lead near the midway mark.
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"They went on a pretty good run and we just didn't respond very well," Wiest said. "It was a little disappointing, after we played such a good first half. We didn't execute well on either end of the floor in the second half. But those things happen when you step up and play a Division I team."
Janae Burich, a freshman center, scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Bison, who also posted an exhibition win over Minnesota State-Moorhead. They open the season on Friday at Northern Iowa.
Ashley Samuelson had 11 points for NDSU, while Whitney Trecker came off the bench to hit for 10.
"They're a strong, physical team and they run their stuff pretty well," Wiest said.
"They're more physical inside. They crashed the boards well and we put them on the line too much. And it seemed like when someone was open, they knocked shots down."
The Jimmies were led by Katie O'Neill with 16 points. O'Neill hit three of Jamestown College's seven three-pointers. Amanda Rantapaa added 10 points and a team-high four rebounds.
"Kellie Schuneman had a good game for us," Wiest said. "Rantapaa shot well and Katie O'Neill had a good game. We saw some good things."
The Jimmies, ranked No. 6 in the preseason NAIA Division II poll, were playing their second exhibition against a D-I team after facing North Dakota earlier.
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"For us, these games are a learning experience," Wiest said. "We saw some good things out there. We always talk about wanting to improve every day, every time out and I thought we improved.
"Games like this can only make us better as the season goes on. We won't see anyone like this or UND at our level."
The Jimmies (4-0) travel to South Dakota this weekend for a pair of games against Great Plains Athletic Conference schools. JC travels to Dakota Wesleyan on Friday and Mount Marty on Saturday.
North Dakota State 79, Jamestown College 49
Jamestown College 26 23 -- 49
North Dakota State 38 41 -- 79
JAMESTOWN COLLEGE (49): Giuli Varriano 0-1 0-0 0, Cori Doubek 1-3 1-2 3, Katie O'Neill 4-9 5-8 16, Kellie Schuneman 1-5 0-0 3, Amanda Rantapaa 3-10 2-2 10, Krista Shaikoski 1-5 0-0 3, Justene Engels 0-4 0-0 0, Nicole Ahlers 0-0 1-3 1, Jackie Hust 2-5 0-0 4, Allison Epping 0-1 1-2 1, Bridget Schuneman 1-3 0-0 2.
Totals: 14-57 FG, 13-21 FT, 10 fouls, 32 rebounds (Rantapaa 4), 10 assists (O'Neill 5).
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NORTH DAKOTA STATE (79): Ashley Samuelson 4-7 3-3 11, Abby Plucker 4-9 0-0 9, Jill Zaruba 1-1 2-2 4, Katie Birkel 2-5 0-1 4, Inger Hodgson 3-9 1-2 7, Danielle DeGagne 1-2 4-5 6, Megan Shea 0-2 3-4 3, Hannah Linz 3-6 1-2 9, Ashley Tingelstad 1-1 0-0 2, Skye Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Whitney Trecker 3-5 4-5 10, Janae Burich 5-9 4-5 14.
Totals: 29-58 22-29 FT, 13 fouls, 47 rebounds (Plucker 9), 13 assists (Hodgson 4).
Sun sports editor Scott Throlson can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by e-mail at throlson@jamestown-sun.com
