ROCKLIN, Calif. –  The last time the William Jessup University men's basketball suffered a loss was January 3 at Menlo College. On Tuesday, the Warriors welcomed the Menlo Oaks to Warrior Arena in hopes to avenge their lone conference loss of the season. Trailing late, the Warriors kept their composure as they battled out a victory, winning by the score of 62-59.

"We're looking at every game as an individual season," head coach Lance Von Vogt said of the five-game win streak. "I don't look at the fact that it's a win streak, I think every game has a life of its own."

Menlo found themselves leading the No. 16 team in the nation by four late, when senior Chris Murry (Fremont, CA) caught fire. The senior guard connected on a fade away 3-pointer, followed up with a fade away two after a Menlo basket to chip the deficit to one.

Murry would again strike with just under a minute to play, as he came off a screen at the top of the arch to hit a pull up 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead by two, 58-56.
With Jessup leading by three with just under 10-seconds remaining, the Warriors had a chance to ice the game; however, an inbound violation as called on senior Cody Wilcox (Grass Valley, CA), giving the Oaks the ball back down just one possession.

The Oaks would get one shot off in the final ticks of the clock, a half court heave which clanked off the front of the rim as time expired.

Freshman Brandon Lindsey (Tyrone, GA) continued his strong play as of late. Lindsey closed the game with 18 points while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 at the line, including two clutch free throws in the final 30-seconds. Murry led Jessup with 21 points, connected five times from behind the arc.

Wilcox turned in a solid performance for the Warriors, racking up a game high 12 rebounds. Jessup was short a forward as senior Tahron Morrison (Fairfield, CA) left the game in the second half with an injury.

"(Cody Wilcox) is a graduate student. He already graduated. He came back for this year because he knew we had a chance to build something special. He's a high-character kid with a great GPA. He's getting his master's in business administration, but he just loves the game and he loves his teammates. He played for his teammates tonight," said Von Vogt speaking high praise of his senior center.

"I can guarantee you that every teammate in that locker room loves him for the guy that he is and the efforts he puts forth."

Jessup started fast Tuesday, opening to a 9-2 run which would be followed by a 9-2 run by the Oaks to level the score at 11. Coincidentally, following Menlo's 9-2, it was Jessup who embarked on their second 9-2 run of the first half to take a 20-13 advantage.

At the break, Jessup lead 28-23. The Warriors shot 37.3-percent from the field in the entirety of Tuesday's game. Menlo shot just 38-percent from the field, including an 11.1-percent (1-for-9) from three-point-range.

The win improves Jessup's overall record on the season to 16-5. In conference play, the Warriors are now 6-1 and sit alone in first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings.

"There are nine games to play in conference play, and anything can happen in those nine games," added Von Vogt. "As you can see, every team is loaded, every team is well coaches, and every team is ready to come after us.

"When you're number one, you better have your hardhat on and be ready to go because you're going to get everybody's best shot. I think we are seeing that…It's a little bit of a different role than we've been in in the past, and we're going to have to see how we handle it."

Jessup will get back on the hardwood this Saturday as they Welcome The Masters University to Warrior Arena. This will be the first meeting between the Warriors and Mustangs here in the 2016-17 season. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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).