Jimmies Lose Again to Lady T's

By Scott Throlson, The Jamestown Sun

Mark Wiest felt good about his team in tonight's match-up. After playing the Dakota State Lady T's just six days ago in Madison, he thought a number of factors favored his Jimmies at home.  Preparing to take on Dakota State’s tough matchup zone defense is never easy, but getting another shot at the Lady T’s (14-8, 6-2 DAC) so quickly could be a positive.

Jamestown College had a chance at knocking off the nation’s No. 12-ranked team on Friday night at the Civic Center. But some missed opportunities on both ends of the floor cost the Jimmies as Dakota State posted a 64-57 Dakota Athletic Conference victory.

“I kind of feel like we let that one slip through our hands,” Wiest said. “We did a lot of things right on both ends of the floor. We had some good looks that we just didn’t finish.

“That’s the difference in the game — missed layups and free throws. I felt like we did just about enough to win it.”

For the Lady T’s (14-8, 6-2 DAC), it was their third straight win and their sixth victory in seven games. It helped them maintain a share of the DAC lead.

"Playing Jamestown at home is always a challenge," said DSU coach Jeff Dittman.  "I thought we did an excellent job defensively tonight, especially in the second half.  More importantly, this is the number one rebounding team in the league and we held them to only seven offensive boards.  That is a key if you want to beat this team."

Several times, the Jimmies just misfired on wide-open shots.  That cost them dearly during a nearly nine-minute stretch early in the second half when Dakota State went on a 15-3 run to build a 10-point lead.

"Our shot-blockers make people miss shots," said Dittman.  Maria and Laura make people rush things a little, even when they aren't in position to make the block.  I think that's always in the back of our opponent's minds."

“We missed a lot of layups in that stretch,” Wiest said. “We executed everything. We just didn’t finish.”

The Lady T’s hit a number of clutch shots late in possessions as the shot clock was winding down.

“We made them work hard, and they’d hit a shot right at the buzzer or we’d miss a block out and they’d get an offensive rebound,” Wiest said. “We played good defense for 25 seconds but we weren’t finishing it off.”

Dakota State’s veterans made a difference as well.

Jessica VanLoy hit 5 of 9 shots from the field and led the Lady T’s with 16 points. Laura Tewes added 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting along with a game-high 12 rebounds. Nicole Geraets added 10 points.

"Everyone on the floor was a shooting threat down the stretch," Dittman said.  "That puts a lot of pressure on a defense.  Additionally, we got a number of offensive rebounds that gave us second chance points.  I was very pleased with our entire team's performance down the stretch.  Everyone made plays."

“They’re a good team,” Wiest said. “There’s a reason they’ve been to the national tournament the last two years. Down the stretch, their seniors stepped up.

“Fifty-five of their 64 points came from seniors. They’ve been in those situations before and they know what they have to do to win games.”

Giuli Varriano scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed five rebounds and added three steals for the Jimmies.