MAYVILLE, N.D. – The rubber match between the two best teams in the NSAA did not disappoint as the No. 11 Mayville State University Comets defeated the No.3 University of Jamestown Jimmies 82-73 in front of a wild crowd at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse in Mayville, ND.

This game couldn't have been much closer up until the final minutes where free throw shooting and late-game fouling came into play. The Jimmies largest lead of the first half was five points and the Comets was four points. Six ties and six lead changes kept the fans on the edge of their seat.

Mayville State went into the locker room at halftime with a slim one point lead at 33-32.

When the second half started the Jimmies showed why they've been ranked in the top five all year and made their push for the inaugural NSAA conference tournament championship. Morgan Mathison and Hannah Steele cashed in back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Jimmies ahead by six points at 44-38 with 15:34 to go.

Hailey Longtin answered the second three with a deep ball of her own to keep the game within one possession. The two teams battled for the next ten minutes with neither team able to completely take control of the game.

With 5:11 remaining the Comets and Jimmies were all tied at 65-65.

After Kyra Dewald split a pair of bonus free throws to give the Jimmies a one point lead, Longtin knocked down a three, followed by a Mathison deep ball to flip-flop the lead once again. Samantha Heier finished a nice drive for a lay-up after missed shots by both teams to give the Comets a 70-69 lead with 2:11 remaining.

That would be the final lead change of the game. Liza Hoglo hit a lay-up off an assist from Heier to extend the lead to three. Heier then cashed in two free throws to extend it up to five.

When Hoglo scored another basket moments later, the Comets took a 78-71 lead with under a minute left. The Jimmies never brought it back within five from then on. Mathison made two free throws which would be the final Jimmie points of the game.

Heier and Hoglo each made two more free throws for the final points of the game and an 82-73 victory for Mayville State University.

The Comets really played a great team game in this one with nine different players scoring points. After an 0-for-7 shooting performance the last time these two teams played, Angela Tauer set the tone for the Comets early with the first six points on her first two three-point attempts.

She finished the night with nine points and four rebounds.

In her final game in the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse after what has been a fantastic career, Hailey Longtin led the team with 17 points. She knocked down four three-pointers during the game and was 5-of-6 at the free throw line.

Liza Hoglo followed with 16 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. She made some huge plays in the final minutes of the game to lock up the victory for Mayville State.

Samantha Heier played well in her Lewy Lee finale as well with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Her ability to handle pressure and court vision were on display as the Jimmies could only force one turnover out of her in 27 minutes on the court.

Sabrina Rude came off the bench with another solid performance, going for 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Jimmies did a good job defending Marcisa McMillan in this game and held her to just eight points on 1-of-6 shooting. This was a far stretch from the previous match-up where she torched the nets for 24 points and 19 rebounds. UJ made a concerted effort to slow her down in this one.

While her offensive game was held in check, she was still the leader in the game in rebounds and blocked shots. The 2014 NSAA Most Valuable Player pulled down 11 rebounds, blocked two shots, and altered many others.

Kay Laforet missed the second meeting of these two teams with the after-effects of a concussion suffered in the first match-up and was able to play 13 minutes off the bench. She scored four points, had one assist and also handled the Jimmie pressure with poise.

Rounding out the scoring was Missy Kassube and Brooke McNary, each scoring two points.

The Jimmies were led by Steele who scored a game-high 21 points. Morgan Mathison was the only other Jimmie in double figures with 13 points.

The Comets outshot the Jimmies .414 to .313 from the floor, but Jamestown had the advantage on three point shots at .435 percent versus .357 percent. MSU had a slight advantage on free throws going 24-of-33 for a .727 percent clip. Jamestown shot 21-of-33 for a .636 percent rate.

The Comets had the advantage in rebounds (43-37), assists (13-10), and blocks (3-1).

The win gives Mayville State University a place in NSAA history as the first-ever conference tournament champions. The Comets won the regular season crown as well.

The next action for No. 11 Mayville State University (24-3, 7-1 NSAA) won't be until March 12^th or 13^th down in Sioux City, Iowa at the Tyson Events Center. The Comets are awaiting the results of the NAIA selection show which will be held tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.

Comet fans are all invited to watch the selection show tomorrow night at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse in the classroom 101. The show begins at 7:00 p.m.

There were also some award winners from Mayville State University.

Liza Hoglo - Second Team All-Conference

Hailey Longtin - First Team All-Conference

Marcisa McMillan - First Team All Conference/Most Valuable Player

Dennis Hutter - Coach of the Year