ROCKLIN, Calif. – In the history of Warrior Arena, many games come to mind as being incredible. On Friday night, on the opening day of the 10th annual Bill Holtz Warrior Classic, the Warriors played what is undoubtedly the greatest game in Warrior Arena history, as they defeated the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls 102-92 in double overtime.

Freshman Brandon Lindsey (Tyrone, GA), coming off a 27-point performance last weekend against UC Merced, turned in a career day of 31 points. Lindsey took over the game in the final stretches, connecting on two contested layups to tie the game, one of which came with just before the final buzzer to send the game into overtime.

"Brandon Lindsey is special," said head coach Lance Von Vogt on the night of his freshman guard. "He is the type of player that has a competitive spirit that's just beyond what most people have. Tonight, he played with a passion that you just rarely see, and if you're within witness of it, you're going to remember it for a decade, two decades, maybe the rest of your life. I know I will."

The Warriors again needed some buzzer-beating magic in overtime, as after a missed 3-pointer by senior Chris Murry (Fremont, CA), junior Christian Jones (Newport News, VA) won the rebound and put the ball in on the second-chance attempt to again tie the game, sending things to double overtime.

Double-overtime Friday was less stressful than the previous ten-minutes of play. The Warriors opened the period on a 12-0 run, ultimately outscoring the Owls 14-4 in the second overtime frame to take the victory.

While Friday's game ended as a nail biter, it started as something completely different. Oregon Tech seemingly could not miss in the opening 20-minutes, shooting a 46-percent line from the field to open the game, while taking a 36-26 advantage into the break.

Jalen Carvalho was dominant for the Owls. The guard connected from behind the arc three times in the first half, entering the locker room with 12 points. Joel Yellow Owl added nine first half points, as he shot 50-percent from the field. The two would finish with 26 and 18 points respectively before both fouling out.

"We completely changed our style of play mid game to combat what Oregon Tech was doing," added Von Vogt. "That was stuff we hadn't even practiced before, we were drawing plays up in timeouts, and the guys were out executing them. That was excellent…I didn't think we played bad in the first half, I just think (Oregon Tech) hit a bunch of really big shots."

Jessup's first half shooting woes came from behind the arc, as the team could not connect on a 3-pointer, going 0-for-8 to start the night.

After the Owls pushed their lead to 16 points, Jessup embarked on an 11-2 run, aided by 6 points from Lindsey to cut the deficit to six. Oregon Tech pushed their lead back up to 10 with 8:30 remaining in the game, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Murry and a Lindsey three-point-play had Jessup trailing by just four.

Jessup was forced to play the foul game in the final minute, and after two missed free throws by Carvalho, Lindsey pushed the length of the court to hit the first of his two game tying layups. The Warriors were called for a foul on the next possession with six seconds left, and after two made Owl free throws, Lindsey again tied the game at the horn to send the game to overtime.

"Tonight we displayed the heart of a champion and this was something we will build off of. They say one game is one game, but there are some games that are just milestones throughout the season," said Von Vogt of his team's resiliency.

One member of the Warriors who had a strong game for Friday was junior Sherman Simpson (Los Angeles, CA). Simpson transferred to Jessup this offseason from Oregon Tech, and in his first game against his old-school Simpson dropped 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

"I told Sherman earlier in the week that we were going to roll him out there and give him a chance to really get going because he really wanted to get after this," Von Vogt said of Simpson. "Obviously, it's one of those games where he spent a couple of years up there, and now he's with us, and I just thought that he handled his emotions great and played with great energy."

Murry finished the night with 13 points, connecting three times from behind the arc. Senior Micheal Patterson (Amarillo, TX) added a double-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds off the bench. Senior Elijah Lewis (Atlanta, GA) scored 15 while bringing down 5 boards.

Jessup will have a quick turnaround after the emotional victory, as they are set to take on Eastern Oregon University at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow. The Mountaineers are coming off a win Friday against GSAC school Menlo College.
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).