ROCKLIN, Calif. - The Jessup men's basketball team geared up for a competitive homestand welcoming their first matchup against the Westmont Warriors on Thursday night. Despite the visiting Warriors' leads, Jessup would tie it up at the break and then again under a minute before the final buzzer, but a single basket would favor Westmont in the 75-74 finish.

Head coach Lance Von Vogt commented on the atmosphere in Warrior Arena, "Great college basketball tonight. Great environment with the fans and two great programs battling it out until the final buzzer sounded."

The opening three minutes of play would set the tone for the rest of the night as two nationally recognized teams would battle it out in Warrior Arena, matching basket-for-basket to start. It wouldn't be until a Westmont 9-0 run, that the home team would have to find grounds to battle back, and sure enough, they did with their own 7-0 surge to get within 2 (17-15) at the midway point.

Senior Tate DeLaVeaga would hit a clutch three from the top of the key to get the Warriors even closer with 7-minutes remaining, 21-20, but Westmont would answer right back with a 10-point lead over the next 4 and a half minutes.

It would be DeLaVeaga again lighting the spark for Jessup sinking 1-of-2 two free-throws and then hitting another three on the next possession, followed by a pair of layups for 8-straight points. 

In the final seconds before the break, Tyras Rattler Jr. would force the Westmont turnover and send it up the court to Isaiah Milan and Keith Phillips who exchanged possession with 5-seconds remaining, Phillips hitting the buzzer-beater jumper to tie it 34 all at halftime.

The home Warriors would achieve their largest lead of the night at the 12-minute mark as Darrell Polee hit his second three in the last three possessions, Jessup up 57-54. But it didn't stop there as the game would see 5 more lead changes over the next 10 minutes, before the Battle of the Warriors came down to a tie game at 74, with a little over 2 minutes remaining.

In a packed Warrior Arena, the Westmont Warriors would draw the foul with six seconds remaining, leading scorer for the night Olisa Nwachie on the line for Westmont. The senior forward managed to sink one of the two free-throws despite the roar, deciding the game.

Jessup was led by all scorers in double figures, Antonio Lewis leading the pack with 23 points, followed by teammates Phillips (14), Polee (13), DeLaVeaga (13) and Rattler Jr. (11).

With a short recovery tomorrow, the Warriors will return to Horton Court on Saturday, taking on their toughest opponent yet in No. 7 The Master's at 3 pm.

"The ball bounced Westmont's way tonight," Von Vogt concludes. "I am really proud of the guys. And we are right where we need to be moving forward. This is a tough and resilient group of men. We will regroup tomorrow and get ready for Master's University."

   
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).