ROCKLIN, Calif. - The Lady Warriors opened the season in fashion defeating Bethesda University in their first game of the 10th Annual Bill Holtz Classic held in Warrior Arena over the next two days.

"I was very pleased that we were in attack mode right from the tip," commented head coach Kurt Westendorp. "I thought we were aggressive against their pressure in the first half and that led to quality shots for us."

Junior forward Ashlyn Jones started the season with the first bucket, followed by an outstanding offense performance in the first half with 9pts, shooting 50-percent from the field.

The Warriors got ahead early with an aggressive attack offensively and control defensively to overwhelm the Flames. Jessup scored their game-high 21 points in the first quarter to Bethesda's 7.

The momentum would continue as the Warriors didn't let up adding 20 points in the second quarter to go ahead at the half, 73-58.

Despite the large lead, the Flames kept the ladies on their toes continuing to chip away at the lead coming out of the break outscoring the Warriors 21-16. Jessup would go into the final 10 minutes with a 58-30 advantage as momentum shifted in favor of the Flames.

But the Warriors continued to fight on home court in the fourth quarter with leading scorer, junior Rona Chavez finding the net in multiple situations posting 11 of her 14 points in the second half.

Behind Chavez was Jones finishing with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Janelle Luu came out scoring 11 points for the Warriors, while Sara Vasquez and Olivia Luu added 9 points apiece.

Jessup would add another 16-point quarter finishing with a final 73 points over Bethesda's 58 for the first win of the season, and first win under new head coach Kurt Westendorp.

This is Westendorp's first season with the Warriors coming from Valparaiso University where he served as associate head coach, now entering his first season as head coach for the Lady Warriors.

"It's great to put the first game of the season in the win column," Westendorp said. "I'm very proud that my first victory at Jessup was earned by this great group of young ladies, I'm looking forward to many more in the future."

Tomorrow the ladies will take on Simpson University as 8 p.m. in Warrior Arena for the final game of the 10th Annual Bill Holtz Classic.

"Our team will continue to grow with more game experience.  We have many things to take from this game as we move toward putting a full 40 minutes together of quality basketball," Coach 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).