ROCKLIN, Calif. – Closing out a comfortable three game home stand, the Warriors were faced with their toughest test of the year so far in the likes of the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls. Jessup couldn't find their shot early, and a late comeback was not enough to steal the victory as they fell by just one, 75-74.
Jessup came out looking extremely flat to start the contest Saturday night. Six minutes in, they had only connected on one basket, and trailed 10-2. The drought finally ended when senior Cody Wilcox (Grass Valley, CA) connected on a 3-pointer with 12:45 remaining.
The Warriors continued the remainder of the half struggling to find their shot. Each time they could connect, the Owls would come back to counter and pad their lead. At the half, the Warriors had improved their shooting percentage up to 42.9-percent (12-for-28), yet they still trailed 34-28.
"I don't think we necessarily started out flat," said head coach Lance Von Vogt after the game. "I think Oregon Tech has been together for a longer time, and they were more comfortable running their game plan out of the gate. I don't think it was an effort thing why we started slow, it was more of an execution thing."
The start of the second half felt a lot like that of the first, but the Warriors played smart and capitalized on the few Owl mistakes. One key play occurred with just under 17-minutes remaining when senior Andre Smith (San Diego, CA) converted on a tough three-point-play to trim the lead to four.
Oregon Tech again, like in the first half, began to pad their lead as they pushed the score to 51-43 with 10-minutes remaining, causing Jessup to call timeout. The Warriors came out of the timeout scoring, but each basket was countered by one from their counterparts, keeping the lead at 10 heading into the final two minutes.
The final two minutes were where things got exciting. Senior guard Darrell Polee (Sacramento, CA) recorded steals on back-to-back possessions and converted on the fast break layups to trim the lead to four. Jessup continued to battle, cutting the lead to as little as one with the final seconds ticking away.
"(Polee) has a high-celling," said Von Vogt on his senior point-guard. "He's just now starting to understand the things that he can do on the basketball floor. He'll be a different player at the end of the year. I'm really excited to have him to have him on the squad."
Jessup was forced to start fouling in the final minute, sending Oregon Tech to the line on each possession. After a set of free throws to push the lead to three, the Warriors drove down court and fired up a 3-pointer, but it was missed. Smith would tip in the rebound to cut the lead to one with less than a second remaining, but there was not enough time to foul and gain another possession.
"We have guys that care and have heart. That's going to bode well for the future. We need to learn how to have that same killer instinct that we had in the final minutes of the game for a full forty-minute contest," said Von Vogt.
The loss is Jessup's first on the young season. After starting 3-0 for the second consecutive year, the Warriors fall to 3-1 and finish their three-game home stand with a record of 2-1.
"(Oregon Tech) dictated the first half of play, and we dictated the second half of play. But we just couldn't connect on enough free throws. Whenever you do that it's going to be tough to win a one-point game" Von Vogt stated of his team's efforts. The Warriors went just 52-percent (11-for-21) from the line.
Focus must now be shifted forward to next Saturday, November 14, when the Warriors travel down to Southern California to face a tough opponent in NCAA Division I UC Riverside. Jessup will return home on Wednesday November 18 to host rival Cal Maritime.
"It's a game, and it's the most important game on the schedule because it's the next one up," said Von Vogt on facing UC Riverside. "We have an opportunity to go out there on the road, play a team that's going to be big, strong, and athletic like us. We'll see if we can improve on tonight's performance."
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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).
