SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - Upon being touted as the No. 24 team in the nation in the latest NAIA rankings, the Warriors lost a hard-fought battle to No. 22 in the country, Mustangs of The Master's University, 59-69 falling to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in GSAC play. 

After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, freshman guard JoeLyn Stirton was the first Warrior on the board as she sunk a three-pointer. Unfortunately, the first quarter would get out of hand for the Warriors and after the first ten minutes of action, they trailed 23-9.  

Despite the slow start, the Warriors caught fire with their highest-scoring quarter in the second, outscoring the Mustangs 22-17. The bulk of the scoring was a balanced attack but it was Emilee Van Dyke who made the defense pay with six points coming off of three different mid-range jumpers. 

The third quarter was a defensive fight as it was the games lowest scoring quarter but going into the fourth the Warriors would ramp up the scoring once again. Despite outscoring the Mustangs in the fourth quarter, the Warriors were unable to cut into the lead and going on to lose 69-59. 

After the game, coach Westendorp addressed the tough loss saying, "The two key factors in this game that we weren't able to overcome was a slow start in the first quarter and the deficit in the rebounding margin." 

However as the game continued on the Warriors were able to get comfortable and coach Westendorp recognized this as he said, "After the first quarter we settled in offensively and moved the ball really well against their zone." Westendorp went on to say, "They are a tough team to score against with their length. We did a nice job closing the gap several times, but we just weren't able to get that last spurt to take the lead."

Olivia Luu had another phenomenal game as she scored a team-high 17 points, going 5-for-8 from deep while also dishing out four assists as she continues her solid senior season. Joining Luu in double figures is fellow senior standout Anisah Smith as she scored 13 points, good enough for her seventh straight game with double-digit scoring. 

Jessup will have a short one-day break before taking on Westmont College in a battle of the Warriors 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 JessupAthletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).