Doane's hot shooting sinks Jimmies 89-82

Dec. 4—After a first half in which the University of Jamestown men's basketball team held Doane University to 35 points on 42% shooting from the field, the Tigers (8-4,3-2) got hot and scored 54 points on 78% shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes. In the second half of the game, the Jimmies (9-2, 2-2) shot 42% from the field.

Mason Walters put the Jimmies up by 11 with two free throws, 31-20 with 6:46 to go in the first half. On a third opportunity, the Jimmies' John Argue tapped the ball off glass and in to give his team the 33-27 lead with 2:42 to go in the first half.

In the second half, off a turnover, the Tigers Joe Burt hit the up and under to give his team their first lead since 2-0, 42-40. The Jimmies tied the game up at 46 thanks to a Will Cordes three with 16:25 to go in the game. With 14:43 to go, Walters hit the spot-up three to make it a 51-49 game in favor of the Jimmies. The Tigers bench erupted when Josiah Gardiner sprinted into the paint and slammed it home with authority drawing the foul to make the game 56-55 in favor of the Jimmies. The Jimmies stole some momentum back when Walters drove in and hit the bucket and got the whistle to make the game 59-56 in favor of the Jimmies with 12:07 to go. The Tigers' Alec Oberhauser put the game away with a jumper with around 10 seconds to go to make it an 87-82 game.

In the second half, Walters and Gardiner were guarding each other, at times going shot for shot. In this game, Gardiner finished with 24 points and Walters finished with 32 points.

"He's a good player. We have to play better defense as a team," Walters said. "Individually, I have to play better defense too, that's on me and we'll get better from this."

After the win, the Tigers sprinted onto the court and were hugging and yelling to celebrate the hard-fought victory.

"This is my sixth year and we've had an amazing amount of tough luck, whether that be injuries or people leaving the program," Tigers head coach Ian McKeithen said. "Just being on the other side of games like this where we are really close and we think we are turning the corner, in this league it's so brutal, it's so tough ... I think it's emotional for them, and it's emotional for us, not to say we have arrived or anything along those lines but we are taking steps to be in the conversation."

The Jimmies are back in action at 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 4 when they welcome in Hastings College. The Tigers look to continue their winning ways at 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 4 when they go to Dakota Wesleyan University.

As the Jimmies look ahead to the Hastings game, head coach Danny Neville wants his team to lock in more defensively.

"We just gotta have a want to, a want to guard," Jimmies head coach Danny Neville said.

DU 89, UJ 82

DU: 35 54 — 89

UJ: 37 45 — 82

Points leaders:

DU: Josiah Gardiner 23, Anthony Laravie 19, Alec Oberhauser 16

UJ: Mason Walters 32, Will Cordes 18, John Argue 10, Brady Birch 10

Assists leaders:

DU: Laravie 5, Oberhauser 2, Joe Burt 2, Gardiner 2

UJ: Marc Kjos 6, Cole Woodford 3, Walters 3, Cordes 3

Rebounding leaders:

DU: Oberhauser 7, Brady Timm 4, Gardiner 4

UJ: Walters 9, Devon Schultz 5, Birch 4, Argue 4