JAMESTOWN, N.D. – It was another tough loss for the women's basketball program as they fell in the final seconds to the University of Jamestown, 71-69, on Friday night. With the loss, the Blue Hawks drop to 2-13 overall, while the Jimmies improve to 10-4.
How it Happened –
The Blue Hawks got off to a hot start as they took and early 13-2 lead in the first minutes of the first quarter. However, the Jimmies responded with a run of their own (10-2) to cut DSU's lead down to three, 15-12, to end the first quarter of action.
Both teams continued to trade buckets back-and-forth over the next ten minutes as DSU held the two-point advantage heading into the locker room at the half.
DSU's Kailyn Groves got things started in the third quarter for the Blue Hawks are she knocked down a bucket to extend the Blue Hawks' lead to four. However, the Jimmies continued their offensive pressure and responded with an 11-3 run to give them the 37-34 lead with 4:49 left in the third quarter. The Blue Hawks took back the lead after a 7-2 run backed by buckets by Lindsay Peterson, Mackenzi Reed, Heather LaBree and Lauren Baumberger. However, the Jimmies knocked down seven points in the final minute of play to give them the 46-43 lead with one quarter left to play.
The Blue Hawks gained a four-point lead, 58-54, as they outscored the Jimmies 15-8 in the opening six minutes. Nine of the next 13 points scored in the following three minutes were from the foul-line – giving Jamestown the five-point lead with 54 seconds left. Senior Mackenzi Reed connected with a bucket from range to cut the Jimmie lead back to two. UJ's Kia Tower responded with a bucket from beyond the arc as well to give the Jimmies the commanding five-point advantage with just 24 seconds remaining. Groves would respond with a bucket of her own to bring the Blue Hawks within three with 15 seconds left. Senior Shali Sheridan continues to be a threat defensively for teams as she stole the ball from UJ's Noelle Josephson and drained a bucket from range to tie things at 69-69. However, UJ's Hannah Demars connected on the final bucket of the game to come away with the 71-69 win.
From the Box Score –
Kailyn Groves led the attack for the Blue Hawks with 20 points, while Shali Sheridan was close behind with 12. Teammates McKenzie Johnson and Lindsay Peterson rounded out the final Blue Hawks in double-figure scoring with ten each. From the glass, Groves and Baumberger led the team with six boards each, followed by Sheridan and Peterson with four.
As a team, the Blue Hawks shot 40.9 percent from the floor, 40.7 from beyond the arc, and 36.4 from the foul line.
