SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The William Jessup men's basketball team battled with Westmont but a late surge wasn't enough as they lost 84-82.
After losing two tough conference games head coach Lance Von Vogt said, "This team has heart and we are improving every game." Von Vogt continued by saying, "Winning at Westmont and Masters is the toughest thing to do. They both protect their home court at a high level."
After four minutes of action in the first half, Jessup would fall behind 2-10. Senior point guard Darrell Polee, however, would help ignite the Warriors offense when he knocked down back-to-back three-pointers but Jessup was still down 14-11.
With 8:31 remaining in the first half Polee would again connect from distance giving Jessup their first lead of the contest, 26-24. Two minutes later it was Tate DeLaVeaga sinking a three-pointer giving Jessup their largest lead of the half, 32-28. The lead was short-lived, however, as Jessup found themselves down 41-37 at halftime.
Jessup would go down by as much as seven before regaining the lead, 49-48, with 16:14 left in the second half. From that point on Jessup would be unable to regain the lead, but they kept the game close as the lead never surpassed seven points.
With things looking bleak as Jessup trailed 76-81, the Jessup Warriors remained strong as they forced a turnover and Tyras Rattler Jr. converted on a pair of free throws. On the ensuing play coming out of a timeout, Polee came up with a steal and layup, and Jessup trailed 81-80. With six seconds left to play Westmont made their first free throw and missed the second attempt. Jessup had a chance with 5 seconds left down 84-82, but a desperation heave at the buzzer fell short and Jessup would lose the game.
Despite two tough losses in a row head coach Lance Von Vogt sees the potential with his team saying, "We will learn from our mistakes and keep grinding to be good enough to win these type of road games." He went on to say, "This is a tough and resilient bunch of guys. I have no doubt that with their work ethic and sacrifice we can find a couple more possessions to win in games like these."
Polee would end the game as the Warriors leading scorer with 21 points going 5-6 from beyond the arc while making timely steals to keep Jessup alive down the stretch. As an experienced senior guard, coach Von Vogt recognizes what he means to this team. Von Vogt says, "Darrell is starting to get comfortable and play like himself. He's already a fantastic leader and now his play is starting to matchup with his leadership. This will only bode well for us moving forward."
Jessup will be back home on their home floor on Thursday, January 10 as they host Vanguard University at 7:30 PM in Warrior Arena.
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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).
