JAMESTOWN, N.D. – With a lopsided loss on Sunday afternoon, Midland Universitys mens basketball team was sent to its fourth-straight loss as the Great Plains Athletic Conference slate continues to prove difficult for the developing team.
The Warriors (7-13, 3-10 GPAC) were no match for the Jamestown Jimmies (15-8, 6-7 GPAC) on Sunday as a strong, well-balanced attack allowed the Jimmies to easily outpace the Warriors en route to a 102-60 win.
Jamestowns 102 points marks the third time this season that the Jimmies have reached the century mark and the third time Midland has allowed an opponent to reach that threshold. The game Sunday in North Dakota was a stark contrast from the seasons first meeting earlier in the month when Jamestown narrowly escaped Fremont with a 72-69 win after a back-and-forth contest.
Four Jimmies scored in double figures as the team combined to shoot 57.4 percent (39-for-68) from the field. Mason Walters came off the bench and led the way with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Jack Talley (18), Brady Birch (12), and Terrell Alfred (11) also scored in double figures.
The Jimmies tied their season-high with 25 assists in the game, a mark they have reached four times this season and twice in the last three games.
Midland was led in scoring by sophomore Bowen Sandquist, who totaled 22 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the floor despite going just 3-for-10 from three-point range. Freshman Kylan Smallwood also added 13 points as the only other Warrior in double-figures.
The Warriors shot just 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the field and made only six of their 30 three-point attempts, on top of being outrebounded 48-21 by Jamestown. Those struggled ultimately doomed the Warriors as the teams were even with 13 turnovers each.
Midland was able to hang around through the first 12 minutes of play and only trailed by five points with eight and a half minutes to play in the first half, but a 9-0 run widened the gap and ignited the Jamestown offense. To close out the half, Jamestown connected on six of its final seven field goal attempts to lead 55-33 at the halftime break.
That momentum never shifted as the Jimmies outpaced Midland by 20 points in the second half and steadily grew their lead to reach the final 42-point margin.
The last few weeks have been a reality check for the young Warriors team, as nearly each member of this years team is experiencing how tough a long GPAC season can be.
Without much time to dwell on recent struggled, the Warriors have a difficult stretch of games ahead. Midland plays (RV) Dordt on Saturday in Fremont, but then plays four straight games away from home, starting with No. 1 Morningside on Feb. 5.
Tipoff versus the Defenders on Saturday, Feb. 1, in the Wikert Event Center is set for 4:00 p.m.
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – A late surge would not be enough as the Midland University womens basketball team fell to (RV) University of Jamestown on the road by a score of 52-49 on Sunday afternoon. Midland falls to 7-15 overall with a 3-11 record in Great Plains Athletic Conference action while Jamestown improves to 13-8 overall and 7-7 in the league.
“Tough road loss for us today. We were not ready to play mentally or physically in the first two quarters,” commented head coach Shawn Gilbert.
Midland shot 25.9 percent (14-of-54) from the field compared to 37.7 percent (20-of-53) for Jamestown. The Warriors were outrebounded 44-35 but forced 24 turnovers while committing 19 of their own. Senior Amanda Hansen and sophomore Peyton Wingert each contributed a team-high eight points. Junior Katy Gathje led the team with seven rebounds while junior Makenna Sullivan had five rebounds and three steals.
The Warriors trailed 44-32 heading into the fourth quarter but kept things interesting as a commanding run made it a three-point game with 3:25 remaining. Hansen drained a pair of free throws to see Midland trailing 51-49, but a late foul allowed for a Jamestown free throw to bring the score to 52-49 with :15 to go. Midland fought against the clock but ultimately fell by a final score of 52-49.
“I will give the players credit, they regrouped, played with some toughness, and battled until the last possession to give us a chance,” said Gilbert.
Midland (7-15, 3-11 GPAC) returns home to face conference foe College of St. Mary on Wednesday, January 29 at 6:00 p.m.
