SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -The William Jessup women's basketball team came storming back in a valiant effort against their conference rival, Westmont College on Saturday afternoon but the late run fell short as Jessup lost 49-44.
In the opening quarter a pair of three-point buckets made by Olivia Luu and Lily Hagerty put the Warriors up 6-5, but after the first ten minutes of play Jessup found themselves down 14-11. After hanging with the No. 15 team in the country, Jessup struggled to find consistent offense in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, Jessup was down 30-19.
Emilee Van Dyke would convert on a layup in the third quarter cutting the Westmont lead to 9, however by the end of the quarter, Jessup had dug themselves into a hole as they trailed by 15.
Jessup wouldn't keep their heads down and the comeback was on as soon as the final frame started. The fourth quarter was kick started by a 7-0 scoring run and with 8:39 left to play Jessup was back in the thick of things down 34-42. Westmont would end the run and the lead was back to double digits, but not for long as Liz Gehwheiler made a timely three-pointer cutting the deficit to seven.
After a pair of Westmont free throws put them up 46-37, Jessup would rally back with another 7-0 scoring run to get the game within two points. Turnovers would ultimately haunt Jessup and with the score at 46-44 with 12 seconds left, the game slipped away and the final score read 49-44.
After the game head coach Kurt Westendorp noted the difference in play in the final ten minutes saying, "In the fourth quarter we were able to get the game more our style and we played with a ton more confidence." Westendorp added that "Westmont slows the game down so much and we struggled to get into a rhythm in the first 3 quarters."
Even this loss stings, coach Westendorp knows the type of team he has, saying, "Overall we have a talented, tough team that I know will respond to this loss. We know night in and night out we have what it takes to beat the best in this league. We'll be ready to go at it again Thursday night against Vanguard!"
Jessup will host Vanguard on Thursday, January 10 at 5:30 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).
