Box Score SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The women's basketball team had a Monday night game to start the week taking on Sacramento State in an exhibition, the first matchup between the two local teams in program history. The Warriors stuck with the NCAA Division I opponent from start to finish losing by just a mere three points to the Hornets, 106-103.
"This game shows that we are capable of some very special things this year. To be able to go toe-to-toe with an NCAA D1 program is a testament to the work this group has put in," head coach
Kurt Westendorp commented. "It's disappointing that we couldn't finish it out in the final minute, but I couldn't be more proud of these girls."
After the first quarter, the Warriors held the three-point advantage, 27-24, while the roles were reversed in the following quarter to bring us into the break, 52-51, Sacramento State ahead.
The second half would mirror the first as the Warriors again, took the lead after the third quarter with a 10-point advantage in the 10 minutes of play, going ahead 85-76 with the final period remaining. The Warriors would score just 18 points to close it out as the Hornets came back with a 30-point quarter to take the final lead and win.
Four players reached double figures in the high-scoring game with a pair on the verge. Senior
Lily Hagerty and junior
Miranda Zaragoza led the way with 18 points each, while
Anisah Smith and
Liz Gehweiler had 17, closing it out was
Olivia Luu (9) and
JoeLyn Stirton (8).
Headed into the game the women's team would have to overcome recent news of their men's basketball teammate Kevin McLemore passing away the day before, but as a team, they decided to continue on and play in his honor.
Westendorp commented on his team overcoming adversity, "These girls rallied around each other today in a remarkable way in incredibly trying circumstances. While we are hurting emotionally, we put forth an amazing joyful effort that we know Kevin would have been proud of!"
The Warriors will hit the road for another exhibition this Thursday at the University of the Pacific before taking on former CalPac rival Simpson University 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).
