ANGWIN, Calif. - After taking a brief Thanksgiving hiatus, the William Jessup women's basketball team got right back to their winning ways by overpowering Pacific Union on the road to take the 79-53 victory.
 
Facing a much smaller lineup, the Lady Warriors used their size advantage in the paint to shoot 47.8 percent from the floor and out-rebound the Pioneers 54-35.
 
Right from the tip-off, it was 6-foot-3 Miranda Zaragoza who had her way in the paint, as the Pioneers had no answer for her length and strength.
 
With the Warriors coming right out of the gate on a 6-0 run, Zaragoza took over the reigns and scored nine straight points. The efforts of Zaragoza and pesky team defense propelled the Warriors to an early 22-10 lead after the first quarter.
 
"Miranda finished extremely well tonight around the basket," said Warriors head coach Kurt Westendorp. "She gives us a good dynamic in the paint with the way she can elevate in the paint."
 
The Lady Warriors used a full-court press in the second quarter to force the Pioneers into making pressured passes and contested jump shots. A Sara Vasquez jumper followed by a couple lay-ins by Anisah Smith and Zaragoza ignited Jessup to a 31-16 lead early in the second quarter.
 
The Pioneers and Warriors would trade baskets for the final minutes as the Warriors took a 35-20 lead going into the second half.
 
After neither team was able to make a three-pointer in the first half, Smith ended the shooting spell by draining the first trey of the game with 8:38 remaining in the third quarter. Zaragoza once again used her height inside to corral missed shots and turn them into putbacks, as she finished the third quarter with seven points.
 
Despite taking a commanding 59-30 lead into the final quarter, Zaragoza was not done filling up the stat sheets. The freshman center tallied six more points and added a ferocious blocked shot in the final quarter to prevent any sort of comeback from the Pioneers.
 
"[Zaragoza's] development is going to be key for us going forward this year.  She has an extremely bright future in front of her and we're expecting big things," said Westendorp.
 
The final horn sounded with the Warriors walking away with their sixth win of the season.
 
Zaragoza scored a career high 24 points and added seven rebounds to lead the Warriors in scoring. Smith chipped in 11 points and three rebounds, while Leilua Iosia tied her season-high in scoring with nine.
 
The Lady Warriors will head back home to take on the Simpson Red Hawks on Saturday at 5:30pm.
 
Said Westendorp, "It's good to keep the momentum going after a nice Thanksgiving break.  We will have to keep playing with energy to keep it going against Simpson on Saturday."  
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).