Mayville, N.D. – In the NAIA "Game of the Week" No. 13 Mayville State University locked up with the No. 4 University of Jamestown for first place in the North Star Athletic Association at the Lewey Lee Fieldhouse.

The Comets and Jimmies met earlier this year at the Jamestown Civic Center, a game the Comets took from the Jimmies 83-75. The crowd at the Lewey Lee Fieldhouse was electric providing a true "college basketball atmosphere" for the players and coaches.

Jamestown didn't let that bother them early in the game as they built a big first half lead that stretched all the way up to 18 points at 36-18 with 5 minutes to go  before the break.

The Comets didn't pack it in early and went on a 12-3 run to end the half, cutting the Jimmies' lead in half and going in down 39-30.

Jamestown added a few to their lead in the early stages of the second half with a 47-35 lead a few minutes in. The Comets would then go on a 15-5 run over the next seven minutes to cut the lead down to two points at 52-50 with 7:50 to go.

The two teams battled back-and-forth from this point on until a Hailey Longtin basket tied the game for the first time since it was 0-0.

Carly Jensen knocked down two free throws to give the Jimmies a two point lead and after another defensive stop, Hannah Steele knocked down a three-pointer to extend the lead back up to five.

MSU never got it closer than three for the rest of the game as the Jimmies did an excellent job making free throws down the stretch. The NAIA's No. 4 ranked team was 12-12 in the final five minutes after the Longtin basket tied the game at 59.

Every time MSU looked to get the game back within reach the Jimmies would knock down more clutch free throws to even the season series at one game each.

The Jimmies game plan from the start was pretty cut and dry. They were defending hard on the outside to take away the outside game and doubled Marcisa McMillan anytime they had a chance. It worked in the first half was the Comets shot just 3-of-14 from the outside. McMillan on the other hand, had other plans.

The senior center had one of her best games yet going for game highs of 24 points and 19 rebounds. She was 9-of-19 from the field, 2-for-5 beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line. The Jimmies defense had no answer for her as the game wore on and she made her mark in a big way.

Liza Hoglo followed her in scoring with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the floor. She also pulled down six rebounds.

Samantha Heier, who was crucial during the Comets comeback in the second half finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. She did a great job handling the Jimmies full court pressure and running the offense.

Longtin was the final Comet in double figures as she was able to break free of Jimmies defenders for 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. The Jimmies made it a point to not let her go off on them like she did on January 22^nd.

The Jimmies relied on the play of Jordan Bridged in this one. Bridges countered McMillan in the post with an impressive double-double of her own going for 21 points, 11 rebounds. A different style of post player than McMillan but effective, Bridges came up with some huge baskets for the Jimmies during the MSU comeback attempts.

Maggie Seter was the only other Jimmie in double figures and she definitely made an impact on the game. She came off the bench to score 14 points in under ten minutes of play. The guard was 4-of-5 from three-point land and helped the Jimmies build their early lead.

The big story in this was the job the Jimmies did defensively to take away the outside game of the Comets. MSU shot 6-for-27 from the outside as a team, a far cry from their typical 40% clip from the outside.

No. 13 Mayville State (19-3, 3-1 NSAA) is back at it on Wednesday as they travel to Valley City for their second conference match-up with the Vikings. The Comets defeated Valley City State University (12-8, 2-2 NSAA) 76-58 on January 25^th in Mayville, ND.