REDDING, Calif. - It was a short trip north as the Warrior women's basketball team hit the road for the first contest away from home at Simpson University. It was a week ago that the two teams were in Warrior Arena where the Warriors finished on top.
Continuing the home-court advantage streak, the Redhawks took the lead throughout as the Warriors chipped away a 20-point deficit but came up short on the road with Simpson winning 71-56.
Simpson came out the gate hot with leading scorer Whitney Rodriguez taking charge for the Redhawks. With half the quarter over, the Warriors trailed by as much as 8 points before cutting the margin to 2 at the end of the first 10-minutes of competition, Simpson up 19-17.
Rodriguez single-handedly scored 16 points in the second quarter for the Redhawks of their 21 points for the 16-point lead going into the half over the Warriors.
"I give a ton of credit to Simpson and Rodriguez for putting together a great game," head coach
Kurt Westendorp commented. "They did a great job in the paint and we had a tough time matching them tonight."
Despite being down at the half by 16, that did not stop Jessup from coming back in the third quarter to cut the lead to 9 in Simpsons' favor with the final 10 minutes to play.
Sara Vazquez was lights out in the third quarter going 3-for-3 from the free throw line followed by a pair of baskets and one from beyond the arc. Of her total 11 points on the night, Vazquez recorded 8 in the third quarter where the Warriors scored 21 points to the Redhawks 14.
Continuing her offensive leadership was junior
Ashlyn Jones for the Warriors with 17 points and 7 rebounds.
"I was very pleased with how we responded in the second half," said coach Westendorp. "We just had too big of a deficit to overcome."
The Warriors ran out of steam after a thrilling third quarter to be outscored in the final 10 minutes, 17-11. Simpson would take the home victory, 71-56, as the teams split on the series, 1-1.
The Warriors will take on Pacific Union on Wednesday for their second road game looking to improve their 2-1 record to start the season.
"Winning on the road is extremely difficult, and I hope our team learns from this experience and is ready to go next Wednesday when we hit the road again at Pacific Union," Westendorp concluded.
***
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).
