ATHERTON, Calif. – William Jessup University's women's basketball team (14-10, 5-7) reversed a downhill skid Tuesday night, grabbing a tough 62-58 conference road win at Menlo (11-14, 5-7).
The Warriors looked reinvigorated from the outset of the game on Tuesday, with a palpable amount of energy, hustle, and purpose throughout the entire roster. The energy helped in a very fast paced first quarter, where the transition game ruled the period. Menlo just slightly bested Jessup in the opening 10 minutes, 16-15, helped by a 58% field goal percentage.
The narrative of the game changed immensely during the second quarter of play. Jessup's defense caught up to Menlo and the Warriors constructed a brilliant 16-0 run, holding Menlo scoreless for six straight minutes while working the ball from the three point shot to the backdoor cut. The run began with a pair of free throws by freshman Olivia Luu (Riverbank, CA). Senior Alexandra Rodriguez (Rocklin, CA) recovered possession with a steal and found Luu again who hit a long ball good for three points and the Warriors were off to the races.
Mercifully for the Oaks, halftime eventually came around and the home team was able to talk through strategy adjustments trailing 36-23. They quickened their pace of play again in the third quarter and managed to make up a few points on the Warriors over the course of the quarter. Menlo would conclude the third period on a 6-1 run before entering the final period trailing Jessup 43-35.
The Warriors looked calm and confident in the fourth quarter sporting a 12 point lead with just six minutes remaining following a 3-point laser by freshman Rona Chavez (Clayton, CA). But Menlo wasn't ready to cede the victory to Jessup just yet, they would go on to make every shot on every possession over the next four minutes.
Jessup was still playing solid basketball, but it is hard to go tit-for-tat with a team that isn't missing. The Warriors dug in none-the-less. Sticking to the game plan, Jessup answered enough times to keep Menlo from ever tying the game, though they came within a single possession twice in the final 20 seconds.
With seven seconds showing on the game clock Menlo hit a layup to bring their deficit to two, the lowest they had seen since the beginning of the second quarter. An immediate foul sent Chavez to the line shooting two. The sophomore led the Warriors offensively in the second half with six points and she calmly knocked both of the free ones down to secure the victory.
Senior Crystall Sewell (Ophir, CA) has been forced to sit out for the past month due to injury she received on the team's January 9th game at Vanguard University. She didn't appear to have forgotten anything as she scored 11 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Luu led the team offensively with 13 points while Chavez and Rodriguez each reached double digits with 11 points.
The win all but guarantees Jessup a spot in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) post-season tournament, though the season is still far from over. The Warriors will play host to #9 Vanguard University Thursday, Feb 11 at 5:30 p.m. before heading out on a three game road trip.
***
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).
