Jimmies' Five-Game Win Streak Ends With 86-77 Loss
University of Jamestown men's basketball saw a five-game winning streak halted Saturday as Northern State handed the Jimmies an 86-77 defeat at Harold Newman Arena. The loss leaves Jamestown at 7-7 overall and 5-3 in NSIC play, raising the stakes for conference games that shape postseason positioning and local fan momentum.
Northern State set the tone early and carried a 41-26 lead into halftime after outscoring the Jimmies by 15 in the opening 20 minutes. Jamestown shot just 8-of-31 (25.8 percent) in the first half and converted miscues into turnovers that Northern State turned into 12 points. Those early deficits proved too large to overcome despite a powerful second-half response.
Jamestown poured in 51 points after intermission, winning the second half 51-45. Anthony Walters paced the Jimmies with 21 points, while Owen Hektner added 12. Cole Glasgow and Thomas Diew provided double-digit scoring support. The UJ bench contributed 24 points, and Carson Woodford collected nine rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal. Hektner and Ford Okehi also recorded steals. The Jimmies dominated the paint in the second half, scoring 34 points in the key, and won the second-chance points battle 20-8, but could not erase the early margin.
For the game, Jamestown shot 40.6 percent overall and struggled from long range, making just 6-of-29 three-point attempts (20.7 percent). Northern State outscored Jamestown 48-38 in the paint and converted late free throws with consistency, which helped them preserve a nine-point margin at the final buzzer.
The setback drops Jamestown to an even 7-7 record and leaves the Jimmies 5-3 in conference play. In practical terms for Stutsman County, the result complicates momentum for a program that had been building local interest during its win streak. Conference records like these matter not just for postseason possibilities but for attendance patterns and community engagement at home games, which contribute to university athletics revenue and local businesses on game nights.
On the women's side, Bernadette Berns poured in a career-high 31 points, but the University of Jamestown fell 67-58 to Northern State. The women's record now stands at 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the NSIC.
Looking ahead, both Jamestown teams will face new challenges on the road. The men travel to Sioux Falls to play Augustana on Friday, a stretch of the schedule that will be important for clarifying the Jimmies' standing in a competitive NSIC and for maintaining the local support that underpins the program's longer-term prospects.
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