ROCKLIN, Calif. – After a nail-biting one point victory on the road last week, the Warriors continued their season on Tuesday as they played host to the Simpson University Redhawks for Jessup's 2015-16 home opener. The Warriors got off to a rapid start Tuesday, and the momentum never diminished as they improved to 2-0 on the season with an 89-73 victory.
Jessup got off to a very strong start Tuesday. After Simpson scored the game's first three points, the Warriors went on a quick 14-2 run to establish the game's momentum. Simpson then began to chip away at the lead, cutting it to as little as one at one point, but a 3-pointer from senior Brenton Muldrow (Riverside, CA) put Jessup ahead 24-20 and reestablished momentum.
"We didn't change our approach for tonight's game," said head coach Lance Von Vogt postgame. "I believe that in our last game we had some jitters and some rust. It was a tough environment and they were ready to play. But tonight we were in the friendly confines of the Warrior Arena, and we were comfortable which allowed us to play our game right from the start."
One key contributor to Jessup's first half success was senior Andre Smith (San Diego, CA), who finished the first half with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Playing in his first contest as a Warrior, Smith electrified the crowd with a monstrous slam dunk to put the Warriors up 32-24. A buzzer-beating layup by senior Darrell Polee (Sacramento, CA) sent Jessup into the half leading by 10 at 43-33.
"(Smith) provides us a presence. He's a big body and he's athletic," said Von Vogt on the debut of his 6-foot 9-inch senior. "He puts us in a position where we can get a better substitution pattern with our bigs."
Jessup again came out swinging in the second half, starting the final 20-minutes with a 6-0 run to pull ahead 49-33. The run was capped off by yet another electrifying dunk from Smith which had Warrior Arena rocking. The dunks didn't stop there, as just a few minutes later junior Micheal Patterson capped off a fast break with a slam of his own, putting Jessup ahead 54-40.
The Warriors kept the excitement going, continuing to add onto their lead. The crowd went wild with just over 12 minutes left when senior center Cody Wilcox (Grass Valley, CA) banked in a 3-pointer, his second in as many games, to put Jessup ahead 58-42. The excitement continued with about five minutes remaining, when after Jessup battled and won a loose ball, junior Kelton Newman drained a wide open three to push the lead to 20-points.
In the final ten minutes, the Warriors began to slow down the pace and open up their bench as the game looked to be in check. After a missed free throw, Jessup dribbled it up court to waste away the final seconds, but a last second 3-pointer by senior Trevor Mabalon (Lodi, CA) was the icing on the cake, as Jessup took the game 89-73.
"At halftime, there wasn't too many adjustments that were needed to be made," Von Vogt said on his team's performance in the final half. "We're just trying to play more simple basketball. We just need to let the game come to us a little bit, and that's mostly what we covered at halftime."
Smith finished the night with a game high 17 points and 13 rebounds. Also contributing Tuesday was senior Desmond Floyd (Gilbert, AZ) who added 14 points and 6 rebounds. Newman finished the night 3-for-4 from 3-point range for a total of 12 points, and senior Corey Clement (Las Vegas, NV) added 9 points and 6 assists.
The Warriors now push their focus towards this weekend where they will host the 11th annual Bill Holtz Warrior Classic. Jessup will tip-off the classic on Friday when they play host to UC Merced at 8:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear white and "White Out" the gym. The tournament continues on Saturday when Oregon Tech's legendary head coach Danny Miles makes his final appearance in the Warrior Arena.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
