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Sioux Falls — (uj.edu) Trailing for all but 39 seconds of the first half and down by as many as 17 points, the University of Jamestown men’s basketball team battled back to tie the game with 2:16 left.<\/p>\n
Jeff Beckman scored Spring Arbor’s final six points down the stretch and the No. 7 Cougars held on for an 85-81 win over the 10th-ranked Jimmies Friday morning in the Round of 16 during the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship.<\/p>\n
The Jimmies held a brief 3-2 lead after Kevin Oberweiser<\/a> (SR\/Drummond, MT) made a three-pointer at the 19:03 mark. Brandon Durnell scored for SAU on the next trip down the floor, and Jamestown found itself playing catch-up.<\/p>\n UJ trailed 32-15 with 8:16 in the half following a basket by Paul Marandet, and it appeared as if the Cougars were going to run away with the game. Following a Jimmie timeout, the Orange and Black responded with a 9-0 run that cut the deficit to 32-24 with 3:54 before halftime.<\/p>\n In the second half, SAU went up 13 after a Durnell bucket made it 55-42 with 14:45 left. A three-point play by Terrell Alfred<\/a> (JR\/Orlando, FL) capped off a 12-2 UJ run, and the Jimmies were down just three at the 11:50 mark.<\/p>\n The Cougars continued to score on nearly every possession, making six straight field goal attempts and going nearly nine minutes between misses.<\/p>\n Oberweiser converted two four-point plays within three minutes, forty-six seconds, with the latter tying the game at 79.<\/p>\n Beckman, who finished with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, knocked down three straight baskets to help the Cougars to the win.<\/p>\n The Jimmies were led by Oberweiser’s game-high 26 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds. Alfred had 13 points off the bench and Jon Purintun<\/a> (SR\/Linton, ND) was also in double figures with 12.<\/p>\n Durnell had 25 for SAU, who also got 18 points from Paul Marandet. Marandet dished out 12 assists. Tom Hamilton chipped in with 16.<\/p>\n Jamestown finishes the season 29-6, one win away from tying the school record. Spring Arbor improves to 27-7 and will face IU East (Ind.) in the quarterfinals Saturday at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n