SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Jessup was on the road to face last year's national championship runner-up and currently ranked #15 Westmont College Saturday, forcing the game down to the wire before falling 80-76.
The first half at Westmont College remained even as the two behemoths traded blow for blow only to end in a draw after the first 20 minutes of play, 34-34. Over the course of the half, Jessup forced Westmont out of their conference zone using their defense to hold a primarily long range offense to just 2-14 from behind the arc.
Westmont adjusted successfully to the Warriors high pressure defensive play, shooting 45% from long-distance in the second-half but Jessup still bested Westmont in the 3-point category for the game shooting 36% compared to Westmont's 28%.
Saajid Polite (Sacramento, CA) played a big role in the distance game hitting 4-6 from behind the arc and leading the Warriors offensively with 20 points. Guillermo Nunez (Manteca, CA) contributed 2-4 3-balls to Jessup's distance game also.
To balance out the attack, Darius Clement (Las Vegas, NV) led the dribble penetration hitting 4-6 from the field to finish with 11 points while Desmond pounded the ball in the post shooting 5-8 from the field also posting 11 points. Kelton Newman was perfect from the free-throw line hitting 5-5 en-route to a 10 point contribution.
In the second half of play, Jessup controlled the tempo of the game. They averaged around a six point advantage over Westmont for the opening ten minutes after halftime seeing a lead as large as nine. It wouldn't be until the clock read eight minutes remaining that Westmont would again see a lead in the game.
Even so, Westmont's lead in the second half was never greater than four points but the four points seemed a building mountain to topple as the clock continuously wound down. Jessup got the game within two on three separate occasions in the last 90 seconds but Westmont refused to miss a free throw which would open the window for a possible Jessup comeback.
"We are heading in the right direction," commented head Jessup basketball coach Lance Von Vogt. "I am proud of our effort tonight against a terrific Westmont squad. Rebounding has been our strength all season, however, tonight the long rebounds were elusive and that allowed Westmont to score too many second chance points."
The Warriors road trip this weekend is complete and they are returning home next week to host #10 Arizona Christian University on Thursday, January 28th, with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m. The streak of ranked opponents continues into Jessup's homecoming weekend when the Warriors host #7 Hope International University for the homecoming game on January 30, game times will again be women at 5:30 p.m. and men at 7:30 p.m.
"We are looking forward to hosting two nationally ranked programs at Warrior Arena this week," stated Von Vogt. "If you are a basketball fan in Northern California, you will not want to miss this."
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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).
