LA MIRADA, Calif. – After a week and a half off for finals, the Warriors got back on the court on Saturday as they traveled to Southern California for their first GSAC game of the year. In front of Jessup was their toughest test, No. 1 ranked Biola, but it was Jessup who prevailed victorious as they topped the undefeated Eagles 67-61.
Saturday's win did not come without dramatics, as the Warriors had their backs against the wall down seven with six minutes to play. After a three-minute stretch where neither team scored, the Warriors began chipping away at the lead thanks to a layup from freshman Brandon Lindsey (Tyrone, GA).
"I really liked how our team responded tonight when Biola made their run," head coach Lance Von Vogt said. "When you play great teams like Biola in their house you know you have to withstand their runs and tonight when we needed it most we responded with one of our own to finish the game."
After a transition 3-pointer by senior Kelton Newman (Elk Grove, CA) cut the deficit to two, Jessup would take the lead on a deep three from senior Chris Murry (Fremont, CA), placing the Warriors up 62-61.
Biola is a very strong team on their home court, as the Eagles went undefeated at home last season and entered Saturday with an overall record of 11-0. In the final minute, after two missed Biola free throws, the Eagles were forced to start fouling, sending the Warriors to the line where they went 5-of-6 in the closing stretches to lockdown the win.
"This was a complete team effort and I believe our depth wore them out over the course of the 40 minute game," Von Vogt commented. "While I don't believe we played our best basketball tonight I do believe the guys did an awesome job of executing the game plan."
Lindsey finished the day with 16 points, while adding 5 rebounds to his team's efforts. Murry turned in 16 points as well, as the prolific three-point shooter connected on 4-of-7 from deep.
Jessup got off to a slow start Saturday, falling behind 5-0 before the team regrouped in a timeout. With just under eight-minutes to go in the first half, Lindsey drove to the lane and connected on a contested layup to tie the game up at 17-17.
The game remained tied for the majority of the final five minutes, but Biola would pull away in the closing stretches of the half thanks to a last second three-point-play to take a 34-29 advantage into the break.
Murry connected on Jessup's first five points of the second half, tying the game up at 34-34 just under two minutes in. The Warriors kept the game close in the first ten minutes of the second half, but a Biola timeout with the Eagles up three with just over 10-minutes left allowed a run to begin, as Biola pushed the lead to as high as eight.
Reigning GSAC Player of the Year Dakari Archer led all scorers with 19 points. Trevor Treinen added 12 points and 5 rebounds, while Caelan Tiongson provided 11 points.
Senior Tahron Morrison (Fairfield, CA) contributed 9 points for the Warriors, while senior Elijah Lewis (Atlanta, GA) added 8 points, all of which came from the free throw line.
With the important conference opening victory, the Warriors will look to carry that momentum into their next game on Monday when they take on Shepherd University at 7:00 p.m.
Coach Von Vogt believes, "We are just starting to realize our potential and I believe that the sky is the limit for this group of men."
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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) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).
