MERCED, Calif. - In true Warrior fashion, the women's basketball team battled to the finish tonight at UC Merced coming back with a 21-point final quarter outscoring the Bobcats by 11. Jessup defeated the Bobcats 61-54, improving to 4-1 on the season picking up back-to-back wins.

Jessup maintained the lead through the first quarter forcing the Bobcats to turn the ball over 7 times with a strong defense, and capitalizing on the offensive end. The Warriors went into the second quarter up by five (17-12).

"I was proud of how we opened the game from the tip, we handled their pressure well and turned it into easy baskets," head coach Kurt Westendorp commented.

Merced would open the second quarter with a three-pointer by Danielle Ward to cut the lead to three, followed by a basket good for two-points as the Warriors held only a one-point lead. With a little less than 4 minutes left in the half, the Bobcats took their first lead in the second quarter, but not before the junior Ashlyn Jones hit a quick jumper to tie it up at 27.

Going into the break the Bobcats took the three-point advantage, 31-28. Merced would continue their momentum to take as much as a 7-point lead with less than a minute left in the third quarter, wrapping up the 10-minute quarter ahead 45-40.

In the final three minutes of the game the Warriors rallied back to tie it up, 53-53. Olivia Luu led Jessup down the stretch going 6-6 from the free throw line, while holding the 6-point lead for the win, 61-54.

"We showed really good resiliency the last 6 minutes of the game to lock down and get stops and rebounds," Westendorp stated. "Olivia Luu was very good down the stretch as well as having a solid game, she was the difference maker tonight."

Ashlyn Jones continued to dominate in the paint leading the Warriors lineup with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Following Jones was Luu with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and Sara Vasquez with 10 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal.

The Warriors return home on Thursday hosting Bethesda at 5:30pm, followed by another matchup against the Bobcats on Saturday at 2pm to close out the preseason before heading into conference play next week.

"We are going up against opponents we have played this year, so we are looking to improve from our first outing since we are seeing these opponents for the second time. We are hoping to continue that mentality as we move into conference play next week," 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) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).