ROCKLIN, Calif. - With just two games left in conference play for the Lady Warriors, the drive and determination to finish strong was evident in Warrior Arena Thursday night against Arizona Christian.  Having dropped the last matchup to the Firestorm on the road, the Warriors defended home court and battled hard for the 67-63 victory.

Head coach Kurt Westendorp praised the team effort tonight, "It was great to get contributions from deep into the line-up tonight.  We haven't placed four players in double figures many times this season, it was nice to see so many people step up."

It was a tie ballgame midway through the first quarter, Janelle Luu hit a long three from sister Olivia Luu to even it up 7-7. Both teams would exchange baskets through the remainder of the quarter but the Firestorm would hold a one-possession advantage (16-14) heading into the second.

The silence was broken after 1:30 going into the second quarter by back-to-back threes from the Firestorm to take the 8-point lead. The Warriors would answer with their own from deep by Sara Vasquez, but Arizona counter-attacked again from sophomore forward Makayla Enders who finished with a team-high 18 points on the night, would give them a cushion.

Down by 10 with just over 6-minutes left in the first half the Warriors came alive sparked by Ashlyn Jones' jumper, followed by a drive through the lane from Lily Hagerty, capped with an and-one play by Jones to cut the lead to three for the Firestorm.

The Warriors closed out the half on a 10-1 run with a buzzer beater by Olivia to trail just by one-point (28-27) with half a game ahead of them.

In the first half, the Warriors forced 15 turnovers for the visiting Firestorm, while Arizona shot 40% from the field in comparison to the Warriors' 32%. But the tables would turn after the break with the Warriors shooting a nearly 50% from the field in the second half, 48.1%, and come back to out-rebounding their opponent 22-19.

Confirming the strong appearance Westendorp said, "Defensively I thought we made things difficult for them tonight.  We forced them to try to score in ways they aren't accustomed to and I think they had a hard time sustaining a rhythm."

The gates continued to swing open for the Warriors as they started on a 6-0  run for the first two minutes of the third quarter. Arizona would continue to answer back as the lead changed four times, concluding the quarter in the Firestorms' favor with a 49-48 lead with 10 minutes to play. 

Jessup would see the line down the stretch as Arizona put pressure on the Warriors, But shooting 17-21 proved the pressure was alright. 

"I'm very proud of our effort to get the ball inside and be aggressive to the rim.  I think that showed up in getting to the free throw line for 21 attempts," stated Westendorp.  "Being able to convert on 17 of those made a big difference down the stretch tonight."

The final lead in the fourth quarter would come for the Warriors with a layup good in the paint by Janelle, followed by a three from the same Luu to take a 4-point lead with 7 minutes on the clock.

Jones would finish one rebound shy of a double-double, but had an outstanding performance offensively with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals. Jones was joined by three teammates in double figures as well; Janelle (13 points), Olivia (12) and Emilee VanDyke (10).

Vasquez would sink two late free-throws to seal the deal for the Warriors, improving to 10-15 overall and 3-12 in GSAC play with one more matchup ahead of them.

The Warriors will close the season on home court Saturday for senior day at 1 pm, with the matchup between Jessup and Hope International. 

"We're looking forward to senior day on Saturday and being able to finish the year off on a positive note," Westendorp concluded. "I'm proud that this team reached double-digit wins tonight, hopefully, we can add one more 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).