FULLERTON, Calif.— After an intense battle through three quarters, the Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the win over the Hope International Royals, 58-47. 

Head coach Kurt Westendorp commented, "Tonight was a very gritty effort by our team.  We've been relying on our defense and rebounding to win games lately and the fourth quarter was one of our best.  To hold them to 5 with the game on the line was big time."

The opening quarter was a slow start offensively but the Warriors would eventually dial in as they led at three different times in the first ten minutes. Despite the team finding a rhythm on offense, the Warriors found themselves down by one, 13-12 at the end of the first. 
 
The Warriors would surrender the first three points of the second quarter and go down by four points at two separate times in the period. However, JoeLyn Stirton would knock down a three-pointer that would spark her team giving them the momentum as the Warriors would regain the lead, 20-19. By the end of the first half the Warriors had a narrow edge, 26-25. 
 
A Lily Hagerty layup early in the third quarter would ignite the offense as they made five of six shots to start the second half. As the third quart was approaching its conclusion and the Warriors were down by two points, Liz Gehweiler was able to shake her defender and knock down a buzzer-beating shot to tie the game 42-42. 
 
In the final ten minutes, the Warriors would rally together on both sides of the ball as they outscored the Royals 13-5 in the last ten minutes to win 58-47. Defensively the Warriors fourth quarter performance was elite, as they forced five turnovers with their opponent shooting just 1-for-14 from the field. 
 
Miranda Zaragoza led the way with a double-double as she tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds. Joining her in double figures was Creonah Bryant with 13 and Stirton finished with 11. 
 
The Warriors will have one day off then hit the road again to take on Life Pacific College on Saturday at 1 PM.  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).