SIOUX CITY, Iowa  (uj.edu)  — Thursday’s victory by the 13th-ranked University of Jamestown men’s basketball team was noteworthy for several reasons.

-It marked the second time in 10 days the Jimmies defeated the No. 2 team in the NAIA.

-It was the first loss at home for Morningside (Iowa) College in 31 games.

-Most importantly, it gave Jamestown its first Great Plains Athletic Conference championship in its first year as a member of the conference.

Kevin Oberweiser (SR/Drummond, MT) scored 20 points and Jon Purintun (SR/Linton, ND) had 13 of his 15 come in the second half as Jamestown defeated Morningside 86-84 Tuesday evening in front of 1600 fans at RVSC-Allee Gym.

The title game victory capped off a remarkable first season in the GPAC for the Jimmies, picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. Jamestown played to a 15-5 conference record, earning the second seed for the postseason tournament.

The first half saw both teams shoot the ball extremely well, with UJ connecting on 19 of 33 attempts (57.6 percent) and the Mustangs scorching the nets at a 70.4 percent clip (19 of 27). The Jimmies hit on eight of 18 three-point attempts while Morningside was five of 11.

Morningside had early leads of 9-2 and 11-4 before Jamestown took a 16-15 lead on a Terrell Alfred (JR/Orlando, FL) layup with 12:27 in the half. UJ’s biggest lead in the first came after Jack Frazier (JR/Salem, OR) hit his third three-pointer of the half, making it 30-26 with 8:01 remaining.

The Mustangs led by as many as five with just under three minutes before half and took a 49-46 lead into the locker room.

After two ties and seven lead changes to start the second half, Morningside held onto a four-point lead following a Tyler Borchers layup with 12:39 in the game. A 6-0 Jimmie run capped off with a basket by Purintun gave UJ a 63-61 lead.

Jamestown had a six-point advantage following an Oberweiser three-pointer at the 7:56 mark, and Morningside would get no closer than 71-71, when Borchers scored just over a minute later. The lead held between one and six for the remainder of the contest.

Brody Egger missed a pair of free throws with the score 86-84, and Jack Talley (SO/Sioux Falls, SD) rebounded the second miss to end the game.

In addition to his 20 points, Oberweiser finished with seven assists and five rebounds. Purintun dished out five assists and recorded a pair of steals. Brock Schrom (SO/Grand Rapids, MN) chipped in with 12 points while Isaiah Dobson (JR/Stillwater, MN) added 11 points and four assists. Frazier and Brady Birch (SO/Melrose, MN) both had nine off the bench. Talley and Alfred each ended with five points.

Borchers had a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds and was joined in double figures by Egger and Matt Hahn with 15, and Alex Borchers with 13.

The Jimmies (28-5) and Mustangs (27-3) will find out their NAIA National Tournament opponents Wednesday at 5 p.m.