ROCKLIN, California. - Facing their third nationally ranked team in less than a week, the William Jessup women's basketball team were unable to complete what would have been the greatest upset in program history as they fell 63-56 to the No. 1 ranked Vanguard Lions.

After playing some of their best basketball of the season and holding a double-digit lead much of the first half, the Lady Warriors were outscored by 14 points in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was yet another battle, but Jessup was unable to hold off the undefeated Lions to lose their third straight conference game.

The feel of a possible monumental upset was in the air right from the opening tip.

An Ashlyn Jones mid-range jumper would get the Warriors on the board first. The following possession, Sarah Vasquez found her stroke from inside the arc and shortly after would drain a deep three-pointer to give the Warriors an early 12-6 lead.

With Vanguard's leading scorer and main post presence, Amber Alexander, on the bench with foul trouble, Jessup would go on an 18-2 run between the end of the first and start of the second quarter. Jones was on fire in that second period, scoring six straight Jessup points and controlling the paint.

As for the defensive side of the ball, Emilee Van Dyke, after coming off the bench for the first time all season, provided a spark in the paint. Despite not necessarily filling up the stat sheets, Van Dyke forced Vanguard into shooting contested shots from inside the paint and blocking anything in her direction.

The Lions would scratch away at the big deficit, but a Lily Hagerty trey-ball at the end of the half gave the Warriors a 27-19 lead going into the break. 

After holding the Lions to shoot just 28 percent from the field in the first half, the Lions picked up the pressure on defense in the third period to force turnovers and get out in transition. The Lions forced six Jessup turnovers in the period as a full-court, high-pressure press defense seemed to give the Warriors ball handlers fits.

The Lions grabbed their first lead since the first quarter as a Victoria Chea steal and fastbreak layup gave the Lions a 31-29 lead. Despite losing their wide margin lead, the Warriors would respond with a Janelle Luu post-move score, followed by a Jessica Armstrong make from long-range. 

Facing a deficit of 44-38 heading into the final period, Jessup could not find any momentum in crunch time. Despite going basket-for-basket for much of the quarter, the Warriors were unable to cut the lead any lower than a two-possession game.

Anisah Smith found herself some wiggle room in the paint in the final few minutes, but it was too little too late as the Warriors could not quite finish the upset. 

The Warriors were led by Jones with 16 points and five rebounds, while Hagerty pitched in 13. Van Dyke finished with one point, eight rebounds, and two blocks.

Despite having one of the toughest schedules in the country to start conference play, the Lady Warriors will face another tough team on their home court against Hope International at 1pm 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).