FULLERTON, Calif. - The William Jessup University women's basketball team (15-15, 6-10) opened up the 2016 Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) playoffs against No. 6 Vanguard (13-3, 23-5). Jessup played a great game but fell behind late losing the contest 67-52.
William Jessup started the game as the dominant team, forcing a turnover in Vanguard's opening possession while connecting on their own first three opportunities before convincing the Lion's head caoch to call an early timeout down 6-0. The Lions took advantage of the timeout hitting a pair of 3-pointers following the talk, but Jessup's All-GSAC senior Crystal Sewell (Ophir, CA) ensured the Warriors maintained their lead with great post play, scoring the Warriors' next six points.
Jessup kept their rhythm as they made their first round of substitutions with sophomore Rona Chavez (Clayton, CA) hitting her opening 3-point opportunity and on the next possession delivering a great pass to Janelle Luu (Riverside, CA) to give Jessup a 17-8 lead and forcing Vanguard to use their second time out in the opening quarter of play.
Again the Lions went on a five point run coming out of the timeout. As the game moved into the second period of play the Lions began to move away from the three-point shot and into the paint where they had a significant height advantage over the Warriors. Vanguard found success and came within three but a quick one-two strike from Jessup's Chavez and Olivia Luu (Riverbank, CA) gave Jessup back a comfortable eight point lead.
The lead would be the last time Jessup felt comfortable in the first half. Vanguard quickly closed the gap until finally, they hit a three-point bucket in the closing seconds of the half to take their first lead of the day 35-34, as the teams headed into their halftime discussions.
The third quarter was a back and forth for the entirety of the 10 minutes of play. After three lead changes, Megan Scully grabbed the final bucket of the period nailing a 3-point shot and tying the game 46-46 headed into the home stretch. The give and take continued until the clock ticked to within five minutes remaining in regular play.
The Lions caught Jessup on a cold streak and took advantage. They launched an 8-0 run on the Warriors capped off by back to back three-point shots and giving Vanguard their biggest lead of the night 57-50. They didn't stop, hitting their next two three-point buckets and putting the game too far out of reach for the Warriors to recover from, with the score eventually settling at 67-52.
Sewell led the Warriors offensively with 14 points and six rebounds while Janelle Luu posted 11 points and three rebounds. Alexandra Rodriguez had a great day defensively recording two steals and a blocked shot while senior guard Olivia Nelson finished with four assists. As a team the Warriors matched the number one rebounding team in the conference, with each team pulling in 38 boards.
"I am so proud of our team and the way we approached this game," said head coach Emilie Blate. "We came focused and ready to compete, unfortunately we were unable to finish the run at the end. This team is a joy to coach and we can reflect upon a great season now."
The loss will bring to a conclusion the Warriors' second season in the Golden State Athletic Conference. This season led to a number of firsts for the Warriors including their first All-GSAC player, Crystal Sewell, and their first ever appearance in the GSAC conference championship.
***
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).
