ROCKLIN, Calif. – With a large crowd of students and alumni in attendance for William Jessup University's 2016 Homecoming weekend, the Warriors (13-8, 4-6) fought a tough battle from start to finish against the visiting Hope International Royals (10-8, 3-6). After a few late baskets to pull away, Jessup could not hold on long enough as they fell 53-45.
Jessup came out running to start the night, charging down court on each of their first few possessions. The Warriors did put themselves in a bit of early trouble when they turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions, but a strong defensive effort did a good job of damage control.
The early struggles in the first quarter were soon forgotten, thanks to an 11-3 Jessup run that was capped off with a 3-pointer from freshman Olivia Luu (Riverside, CA). The Royals would add back-to-back baskets late in the period, making it a one-point game through one.
As the second-quarter went on, it seemed as if the Warriors had begun to lose a little bit of their stride that pushed them to a first-quarter lead. Jessup saw a number of good shot opportunities, but couldn't cash in due to a number of unforced errors. The Warriors had a great chance to possibly pull away on a 3-pointer from sophomore Rona Chavez (Clayton, CA), but an offensive foul away from the ball wiped away the shot.
Thankfully for Jessup, the Royals too began to commit a number of unforced errors, allowing Jessup to start cashing in from the free -throw-line and retake their lead. Hope International closed the half with back-to-back baskets, sending the game into halftime in a 20-20 tie.
Hope International opened the second-half with a full court press on defense, trying to force the Warriors to turn the ball over just like they did to start the game. Jessup was able to hold onto the ball by avoiding the traps, but they couldn't convert on the early shot opportunities as the Royals pulled ahead by four.
Jessup retook the lead on a (Olivia) Luu 3-pointer, but Hope International quickly countered with a three of their own to retake the lead. After the Royals took a three-point lead, the Warriors got a spark of energy when sophomore Janelle Luu (Riverside, CA) connected from deep to even the game. The two sides traded basket for basket in the closing minutes of the third, sending the game to the fourth all tied up at 35.
Much like the way the third ended, the two sides continued trading basket-for-basket to start the fourth, setting up for an exciting finish down to the wire. Jessup seemed to be gaining some momentum after big 3-pointers from (Janelle) Luu and senior Olivia Nelson (Placerville, CA), but each big bucket a basket of their own was followed by the Royals to keep the game tight.
Inside of a minute remaining, the Royals issued a big blow as they drained a 3-pointer and then followed it up with a big basket down low to go up by five. Jessup missed on an easy chance down low to trim the lead to just three, forcing them to start fouling and sealing the victory for Hope International.
Offensively, the Warriors saw a huge combined effort from (Olivia) Luu, and seniors Megan Scully (Newark, CA) and Diana Corona (Porterville, CA) as they all totaled 10 points. Corona would finish with a dozen rebounds for her double-double.
With another game in the books, the Warriors will now continue the 2016 portion of the season down in Southern California when they take on Biola University on Tuesday. This will be the second meeting between the two sides, with the Warriors narrowLY taking the first matchup 51-49 in Rocklin back on January 14. Game time Tuesday is set for 5:30 p.m.
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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).
