Caldwell, ID – The William Jessup women's basketball team played their first contest in the College of Idaho Shoot-Out losing to Montana Tech 60-50. 
 
A few moments into the first quarter, JoeLyn Stirton was the first Warrior on the scoreboard as she knocked down a three-pointer off an Aycee Willis assist. Several plays later, Willis called her own number as she drove into the paint and picked up two points, putting Jessup on top 5-3. 
 
Despite the early lead, the game got away from the Warriors at the tail end of the opening quarter, and after ten minutes of action, they trailed 20-12. 
 
On the first possession of the second quarter for the Warriors, Creonah Bryant got inside for a layup and that was quickly followed by a steal, leading to Willis scoring in transition. Jessup went on a dry spell offensively later in the third quarter but it was Miranda Zaragoza who helped get the offense back on track with two points in the paint. 
 
At the end of the first half, Jessup trailed, 32-20. 
 
Offensively, the Warriors struggled shooting the ball as they were just 31.7% from the field, 15.8% from beyond the arc and 47.4% from the free throw line. Head coach Kurt Westendorp addressed his team's shooting performance as he said, "We can't expect to beat a good team away from home shooting the ball the way we did tonight." 
 
On the other side of the floor, coach Westendorp liked what he saw as he noted: "I thought our defensive energy and focus was high, but we lacked the ability to finish on the offensive end."
 
The Warriors allowed six consecutive points to open up the second half and quickly trialed by 18 and they were down by as much as 22 in the third quarter. From this point on, however, the Warriors played an excellent second half of basketball, as they outscored Montana Tech 30-22 in the final seventeen and a half minutes. 
 
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors began to make a run and Stirton converted on a timely three-pointer trimming the deficit to seven points as Jessup was down 53-46 with 3:53 left in regulation. Coach Westendorp was pleased with the effort his team showed in their comeback attempt, saying, "We never quit in the second half and did a great job cutting their lead." He concluded by saying, "But it was just too much to overcome with the lack of time remaining." 
 
The leading scorer in the game for the Warriors was JoeLyn Stirton with 13 points and Aycee Willis was in double figures with 10. Miranda Zaragoza scored 8 points while pulling down 18 rebounds and blocking a season-high five shots. 
 
Next up for the Warriors, they will be facing off against another tough opponent, the University of Montana Western Bulldogs on Saturday at 12 PM PST. Coach Westendorp ended with, "Tomorrow is a great chance to get right back at it. Playing the defending national champions is a tremendous opportunity."
  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.edufor more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).