Walters sets scoring mark as Jimmies defeat LCSC at nationals

HELENA, Mont.-- Mason Walters (JR/Jamestown, ND) scored 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help lead the University of Jamestown men's basketball team to an 84-70 win over Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) Friday night in the 2022 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Opening Round, presented by Ballogy.

The Jimmies (25-9) will face Carroll (Mont.) College (29-4) on Saturday at 8 p.m. with a trip to the final site in Kansas City, Mo., in the balance. The Saints defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 72-58 in the other bracket matchup.

Walters broke the UJ single-season scoring record while becoming the first Jimmie player in program history to score 700 points in a season. He ended the night with 1728 points, passing Beau Hensel (1715 points from 1998-2002) for second place on the Jamestown all-time points list. Walters trails only Brequan Tucker (1776 points, 2013-2016) for the record.

Jamestown led 16-13 before LCSC went on a 9-0 run to lead by six at the 9:19 mark of the first half. That would be the largest lead for either team in the opening 20 minutes. UJ scored seven of the last nine points, including a three-pointer by Cole Woodford (SO/Redwood Falls, MN), to lead 37-35 at the break.

Backed by a 22-of-30 performance at the free throw line in the second half, the Jimmies never trailed for the rest of the night. A 9-0 run early in the second pushed the lead to 10, and the lead grew to as many as 13 with 10:32 remaining.

LCSC made things interesting, holding Jamestown to just four points in a span of 5:04 and cutting UJ's lead to 65-64. Five straight points by Walters gave UJ some breathing room, and the lead would soon be back in double digits.

Brady Birch (SR/Melrose, MN) had 13 points and three steals off the bench, while Marc Kjos (JR/Lake City, MN) (11 points) and Woodford (10) were also in double figures. Kjos nearly missed a triple-double with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Jamestown 107.1 FM will have live audio of Saturday night's game, which can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/c/carrollathletics