Cheeseman ties career high, but No. 7 Tigers upset by Jimmies

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – With less than a second left and trailing by two points, the No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team drew up a play to tie the game. However, the tip-in did not go in the basket as University of Jamestown upset DWU, 71-69 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference road matchup on Wednesday in Jamestown, N.D.

 Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) kicked off the game with a 3-point field goal to give DWU an early 3-0 lead. However, Jamestown answered with a 3-point basket of their own followed by two free throws to lead, 5-3.

 But Cheeseman responded with another basket, followed by a Kamryn Heinz (Ipswich, S.D.) made shot. Midway through the quarter, Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) joined the scoring as she made a shot of her own to put the Tigers (4-2, 1-2 GPAC) up 11-7.

 DWU built on its' lead throughout the first period, finishing on a 9-3 run with baskets by Carr and Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) to close out the quarter.

 It was a 3-point show to begin the second stanza as the Jimmies (6-1, 2-0 GPAC) opened with a shot from downtown. But Cheeseman and Heinz answered with 3-point baskets, followed by another Jamestown shot from beyond the arc.

 After Carr sank a pair of free throws to put the Tigers up by 10 points, the Jimmies went on a 14-2 run to end the opening half as they took their first lead since the opening minutes of the game, 36-34.

 Jamestown kicked off the second half with another run, this time a short 7-2 run to hold a seven-point lead. However, Cheeseman took over as she scored nine of DWU's next 11 points to put them up by a basket.

 Neither team made a field goal for the next two and a half minutes until Makaela Karst (Plankinton, S.D.) knocked down a 3-point basket to extend the Tiger lead to four points.

 The Jimmies hung around until the went on a 13-0 run to hold their largest lead of the game in the fourth period, 66-56. But the Tigers stormed back as Karst made a jumper to kickstart a Tiger run. Following the Karst shot, Cheeseman scored five-straight points, followed by a Karst 3-point basket to tie the game at 66.

 After a pair of Jamestown free throws, Karst made another jump shot to tie the game with under two minutes to play. On their next possession, the Jimmies converted on a two-point basket to regain the lead. The Tigers were unable to tie the game again as they dropped the GPAC road matchup.

 Cheeseman tied a career high with 31 points on 6-of-10 shooting from behind the arc, while Carr added 14 points and five rebounds and Karst chipped in 10 points and four rebounds. DWU shot 46.6 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range.

 The Tigers return to North Dakota as they battle Valley City State University at 6 p.m. Saturday in Valley City, N.D.