FULLERTON, Calif. - The Lady Warriors started their two-game road trip off with a visit to Hope International University to take on the Royals in a nail-biting Golden State Athletic Conference matchup. After a back-and-forth affair, the Warriors lost 73-71 down the stretch.

In the games early moments, it was Anisah Smith scoring the game's first bucket and followed that up with a pass to the corner to Lily Hagerty as she drained a three-pointer putting the Warriors up 5-0 early. However, the Royals would battle back and after the first quarter, the game was tied up 13-13.

Ashlyn Jones got the Warriors kick-started in the second quarter with a mid-range jumper as part of her 11-point outing. The Warriors caught fire and would go on to post 22 points in the second quarter, however, they trailed at the half 40-35.

In the third quarter, the Warriors would use scoring efforts from multiple players to stay within striking distance. Lily Hagerty drained her second three-point bucket of the game and Miranda Zaragoza displayed her power down low pulling down multiple key rebounds that led to scoring opportunities. Zaragoza would go on to finish the game shooting a perfect 4-4 scoring 8 points. 

The Warriors were able to make multiple opportunistic plays defensively in the fourth quarter that led to scoring on offense. With six minutes left to play, Lily Hagerty chased down a loose ball and found Ashlyn Jones for a layup in transition. A few tense moments later the freshman Zaragoza showed nerves of steel as she made a contested shot, tying the game in its waning moments. Despite a valiant effort from the Warriors in all four quarters, they would go on to lose the game 73-71.

Anisah Smith finished with a team-high 15 points while also grabbing 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Emilee Van Dyke provided the Warriors with an effective outing as she posted 14 points on 70% shooting while pulling down 5 rebounds. Janelle Luu would give a solid spark off the bench as she was a stat sheet stuffer, scoring 6 points, nabbing 4 rebounds and tallying 4 assists to finish off the night.

The Warriors will look to end their road trip with a win on Saturday at 1:00 PM as they take on Vanguard University for their final road game of the regular season.   
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).