ROCKLIN, Calif. – Looking to win their third straight, the Warriors played host to the Bobcats of UC Merced for the second time this young season on Friday night. After a narrow lead entering the half, the Warriors went all out in the closing 20-minutes as they cruised to a 72-53 victory.
Unlike in their previous meeting a week ago, both the Warriors and the Bobcats came out firing to start the first half Thursday. After Jessup connected on two early 3-points, Merced began to gain a little momentum as they pulled ahead by five, but the Warriors would quickly counter on another long ball to tie things up at 16-16.
Jessup seemed to have taken momentum with about six minutes left in the half. Junior Micheal Patterson drove into the lane and connected on a high-flying slam dunk that brought the crowd to their feet. However, even with the crowd behind them the Warriors could not pull away as two minutes later they were neck-and-neck at 27-27. The big push came in the final minute when junior Kelton Newman (Elk Grove, CA) scored five unanswered points to give the Warriors a 35-31 advantage heading into the break.
After a first half where the momentum seemed to be split right down the middle, Merced came out of the break with an extra dose of energy. The Bobcats quickly tied up the game, and then continued their scoring by taking a five point lead on a 9-0 run. Jessup quickly regained themselves, going on a 10-3 run to recapture the lead.
The Warriors then began to pull away, in a large part due to the hot hand of Newman. The Warriors continued to use strong ball movement to find their hot shooter who connected with 3-points on back-to-back possessions to increase the lead. The Jessup defense also began to play a huge role in a 22-0 run by Jessup which allowed them to increase their lead from just three to 25 points.
With the game seeming to be well in check, the Warrior Arena crowd received another chance to erupt as the Jessup starters were taken out of the game with two minutes to play. The Warriors outscored their opponents by 15 points in the second half as they improved to 3-0 on the season with the 72-53 victory.
"We had that 22-0 run, and I think that was done on the back of our defense," said head coach Lance Von Vogt. "The defense gave us a lot of energy and effort. They finally showed the things we have been working on in practice. I've seen that kind of defense in practice, but we haven't done that in games yet. We're capable to big runs and the defense was the catalyst to those big runs."
Leading the way offensively for Jessup Friday night was Newman. Newman finished the game with 22 points while shooting 50% (5-for-10) from beyond the arch. Also contributing was senior Corey Clement (Las Vegas, NV) who scored 14 while adding 6 rebounds. Senior Darell Polee (Sacramento, CA) finished with 11 points and 4 assists, and Patterson finished with 9 points.
"We put (Newman) as an option on most of our plays," said Von Vogt on Newman's strong night. "Kelton took advantage of what the defense gave him tonight, and he's a good enough player to make the shots."
Jessup will close off their three-game home stand tomorrow evening when they play host to the Hustlin' Owls of the Oregon Institute of Technology. Saturday will be the final appearance by NAIA Hall of Fame member Danny Miles who currently has the second most wins by a coach in the history of collegiate basketball. Game time is slated for 6:00 p.m.
"Danny Miles is a great man, and he is a great coach," said Von Vogt on his legendary opponent. "Forty-five years at one school, three national titles, it's an honor for me just to share the sideline with him. It'll be a sad day when he goes, but it will be a well-deserved retirement."
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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).
