ROCKLIN, Calif. - With the first week of the spring semester behind them and a whole week in the gym, Jessup put in work to prepare for nationally ranked Westmont College for tonight's contest.

Proving that they were ready, the Jessup Warriors held off No. 3 Westmont through the half, down just four, but the Westmont Warriors picked it up in the second half to finish on top 69-53.

"Very proud of our effort once again tonight against another powerhouse opponent," head coach Kurt Westendorp said. "We are learning that we can compete with the best in the GSAC, but we will need to put a full 40 minutes together to win a game like tonight."

Jessup continued to battle through the first half led by sophomore Olivia Luu with 16 points after the first two quarters. Halfway through the first the Warriors were locked at 11 each, broken by Westmont, but not before Jessup answered back and proved they were here to defend home court.

The visiting Warriors held the lead with 2 minutes left in the first pushing it to 16-13 after the first 10-minutes of play.

Pushing the lead to as much as 7, Westmont couldn't maintain the run as Ashlyn Jones hit back-to-back jumpers to tie it up with just over six-minutes left in the half (22-22). With 2:43 left to play the Westmont Warriors went on a run to hold a 32-28 advantage going into the half.

The second half fell in the visiting Warrior's favor as they maintained the lead the whole third and fourth quarter, leaving little fuel left in Jessup's tank.

"Westmont is one of the best defensive teams in the country  and their defensive effort tonight really wore us down in the 4th quarter," Westendorp said.  "They only give up 45 points per game, which we were able to eclipse, but going cold over the final 5:00 did us in."

The Warriors bounce back on Saturday traveling up to UC Santa Cruz to compete against the Banana Slugs in an afternoon game at 1pm. 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).