ROCKLIN, Calif. - In an almost identical game as their first matchup against Simpson, the William Jessup women's basketball team used a zone defense and sizzling hot shooting to come out victorious 78-50 for their third straight win. 

Riding the momentum of back-to-back victories, the Lady Warriors put together one of their best shooting performances of the season as they shot a season-high 57 percent from the floor to win their seventh game of the season.

"I like the momentum we're building," said Lady Warriors head coach Kurt Westendorp. "We had two really good practices before today, so this has really [been building] the last couple days."

Despite shooting at a miserable clip, it was the Red Hawks who surged out of the gate after the opening tip.

A mid-range jumper followed by a deep three-pointer by Whitney Armstrong gave Simpson an early 5-0 advantage. The Warriors immediately responded with a 10-3 run in part to consecutive lay-ins from Lily Hagerty and Emilee VanDyke.

After exchanging buckets through the final minutes of the first quarter, Hagerty added another layup to give the Warriors a 14-10 lead going into the second.

Active feet and quick hands on the defensive end led to the Lady Warriors playing some of their best basketball of the season in the second period. Using an active 2-3 zone defense, Jessup forced the Red Hawks into shooting contested jumpers and forcing late-in-the-shot-clock heaves. 

"We've just tried to lock in on what we do and focus on us, not as much on our opponents, and I think we are really just improving every day," said Westendorp.

On the offensive end, an inside-out passing game from the Warriors kept Simpson defenders at a loss for answers. Anisah Smith got things started by plashing home a three-pointer and adding a couple of free throws, followed by a jumper from Olivia Luu and Janelle Luu spinning layup. It was the Ashlyn Jones show in the final minutes of the first half as she would go on to tally seven points in the quarter.

Most notably, a Jones layup in the second quarter pushed her into fifth-place on the all-time William Jessup women's basketball scoring list with 742 career points.

"It's just a blessing," said Jones, in response to her scoring milestone. "I couldn't do it without my team, so the credit goes to my teammates."

Jessup gave up just three Red Hawk buckets in the second quarter and held them to shoot 25 percent from the floor in the first half to take a 37-20 lead going into halftime.

Riding hot strokes from the second quarter, the Warriors would drain their first four shot attempts of the second half, including a couple of Jones mid-range jump shots. The offense of Jones as well as the work in the paint by freshman Miranda Zaragoza gave the Warriors a 20-point advantage heading into the final period. 

Said Jones, "We compete a lot in practice, so [it] really sets us up for the games, and we know how to work well together because we compete so well in practice." 

A rather uncompetitive fourth quarter saw the Warrior lead continue to stretch through the final buzzer. 

With just under a minute remaining in the contest, Leilua Iosia intercepted a Red Hawk inbound pass, dribbled the length of the court, drew contact, and converted a remarkable left-handed layup. Iosia would drain the ensuing free-throw to put the final nail in the coffin.

Shortly after, the final buzzer sounded with the Warriors walking away with their third straight victory.

Jones led the Warriors with 17 points and three rebounds. Van Dyke finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Olivia Luu added nine points and seven assists.

The Lady Warriors will take a short break in respects to "Finals Week" and will resume play at home on December 13th with a 5:30 tip-off against Bethesda. 

Said Jones, "We're having a whole bunch of fun, especially because we are going on break."
   
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).