SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The William Jessup University men's basketball program kicked off their final road trip of the regular season Thursday night, taking on The Masters University Mustangs in Costa Mesa. The Mustangs entered the night as the lone GSAC team Jessup had yet to defeat, and the season ends on that same note as the Warriors could not pull out the win, falling 103-93.
Senior Micheal Patterson (Amarillo, TX) led the Warriors in scoring, as the sixth-man came off the bench to score a season-high 28 points. Patterson connected on 9-of-13 from the field, while also adding an 8-for-12 performance from the line. The senior added 5 rebounds to his totals as well.
Jessup's largest lead of the night, five points, came early on in the game just a minute and a half in after a layup from senior Tahron Morrison (Fairfield, CA). Morrison finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds.
Masters took a 45-37 lead into the halftime break, and proceeded to open up the second half on a 9-0 run to push their lead to 17. A layup with just under fourteen and a half minutes to go would push the lead to 20, the largest lead of the night for either team.
The deficit got to as little as four points in the second half, as in the final minute off a jumper from freshman Brandon Lindsey (Tyrone, GA), and then again on a layup by Patterson. Masters would set the lead at double-digits after four-made free throws in the last five seconds following a defensive and technical foul against Jessup.
Lindsey scored 10 points in the loss, going a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Senior Chris Murry (Fremont, CA) added 19 points, as the prolific shooter connected on 4-of-9 attempts from three-point range.
For the Mustangs, the leading scorer was Reid Shackelford who contributed a game high 36 points. Shackelford shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the line. Hansel Atencia (21), Timothy Soares (13), Travis Yenor (11), and Delewis Johnson (10) rounded out the Mustangs who finished in double-figures.
With the loss Thursday night, the Warriors fall to 17-10 overall on the season. In conference play, Jessup sits one game above .500 at 7-6. Jessup currently sits in fifth place in the GSAC standings, two games back of Westmont College for the fourth slot. The top six teams qualify for this year's GSAC Tournament.
Jessup will wrap up their final road trip of the season on Saturday, as they travel to Santa Barbara to take on No. 16 Westmont. In their meeting in Rocklin back on January 12, it was the Jessup Warriors who came out with the victory by the final of 103-96. Saturday's tip is slated for 5:30 p.m.
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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).
