by JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The College of Saint Mary basketball team had a chance to get a big Great Plains Athletic Conference victory Saturday afternoon.
But the Flames fell just short, losing to University of Jamestown in the game’s final minutes.
“Unfortunately, we had every opportunity to get a win on the road but we just didn’t make enough winning plays as a team,” CSM Coach Kirk Walker said. “We got outscored at the free-throw line by 18 points and that was the difference in the game again.
“That’s two games in a row that we had every opportunity, but not keeping the ball in front of us on defense and missing rotations is just absolutely creating all kinds of problems for us.”
The Jimmies shot just 25 percent from the floor, while CSM shot 35 percent. But Jamestown made 23 of 32 free throws to seal the win. The Flames were 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. The Jimmies outrebounded CSM 50-39.
“Our effort was good throughout the game especially getting out to shooters,” Walker said. “But they outrebounded us on the offensive boards 12-0 in the second half.
“I thought we did a great job taking care of the ball in the first half with only seven turnovers, but turned it over 16 times in the second half,” Walker said. “That’s 16 opportunities we don’t get to shoot the ball.”
CSM’s Trista Merrival (Oglala Lakota) led all scorers with a game-high 15 points. Teammate Lynsey Curran (SR/Omaha, Neb.) also reached double figures with 11 points, while A’leah Davis (JR/Cocoa, Fla.) added nine. Davis had a team-high seven rebounds.
The Flames are now 2-15 in the GPAC and 5-19 overall. CSM returns to action Wednesday at home against Hastings College.
