FULLERTON, Calif. -  The Warriors hit the road for their final series away from home facing the No. 9 nationally ranked Hope International Royals for their first matchup. Down at the break, the Warriors battled back to tie it up four times in the final seven minutes of the game and came within one possession in the final seconds, but the last shot wouldn't fall in the Warriors' favor as the Royals take it 77-75.

Head coach Lance Von Vogt commented, "I am proud of tonight's effort, we played well enough to win this one, however, the ball bounced the other way. Two great looks at the end that just didn't pan out."

The nationally recognized matchup was a battle from the start as both teams would exchange leads through the first five minutes of play before the Royals would pace a 10-2 run for one of their largest leads of the half at the 9-minute mark (26-17).

Hope would extend the lead to 12 with less than three minutes remaining, but the Warriors chipped away at the deficit with a 7-0 run before the Royals ended the half with a three-pointer to take a 43-35 lead into halftime. 

At the break Brandon Lindsey led the Warriors on the stat sheet with 11 points, going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. 

Von Vogt was impressed with Lindsey's performance, " Brandon played terrifically tonight."

Coming out hot in the second half was Keith Phillips who scored 9 points in the first 8 minutes before retiring to the bench in foul trouble. Medearis would also have a hot hand in the final half scoring 19 of his game-high 23 points in the final 20 minutes.

A momentum shift would come at the 9-minute mark for the Warriors where they tied it up with a long ball by Lindsey sent from Antonio Lewis. The remainder of the game would see four more ties and three lead changes before Jessup got within two, the ball baseline under the Warriors basket and seconds remaining. 

Just over four minutes to play, Phillips would be called on his fifth foul and make his way to the bench.

"I really thought the team competed well down the stretch in those final four minutes after Keith fouled out," said Von Vogt. "It was a series of unfortunate calls right in a row that seemed to change the momentum in the other direction, however, the guys never hung their head and just kept competing." 

A pair of looks wouldn't fall for the Warriors as the buzzer sounded and the Royals took it 77-75, with Jessup dropping to 17-9, 3-7.

Medearis would lead all scorers on the night with 23 points, teammate Lindsey would also contribute a large number of 18, with Phillips closing out double-figures with 12 points. Brennan Rakoz would also contribute with a total 11 rebounds.

With their final road game of the regular season ahead of them, the Warriors will suit up one more time in the royal blue on Saturday afternoon taking on the Vanguard Lions at 3 pm. 

"We will rest, recover and be ready to suit up Saturday at Vanguard," Von Vogt concluded.
   
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).