SAN DIMAS, Calif. - A career-high 22 points and 12 rebounds from JoeLyn Stirton, and 16 first-half points from Aycee Willis helped power the Jessup women's basketball team to their first GSAC conference road sweep Saturday afternoon when they beat Life Pacific 73-67.

Coach Kurt Westendorp said the win was, "One of the wildest games I've ever coached.  We had to overcome a ton of adversity but we found a way to grind out a win."

Jessup began the game on fire as they quickly grabbed an 11-4 advantage thanks to a 6-0 run sparked by back-to-back layups from Stirton and was capped off by a lay-up from Miranda Zaragoza at the 6:44 mark of the first quarter.

After an LPU timeout, the Warriors continued their run with a 5-0 solo run from Willis that gave them a 16-4 lead and while Life Pacific scored on their following possession, Jessup finished the quarter strong as they led 25-8.

At the start of the second quarter, Jessup grabbed its' biggest lead of the game at 30-10 thanks to a three from Stirton, and then Willis again extended the lead to 20 at the 7:56 mark with a three of her own.

However, Life Pacific went on to outscore Jessup in the second quarter 22-19 leaving Jessup's lead at 44-30 heading to halftime.

In the third quarter, LPU cut Jessup's lead down to six at the 5:48 mark after a 12-4 run. But just as she did most of the day Stirton had an answer for Jessup as she scored on a layup giving her team a 58-49 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

In the fourth, LPU began the quarter with a 6-3 run, then followed that effort with another run at the 1:50 mark that cut Jessup's advantage to four at 71-67 with 27 seconds left. Nonetheless, Jessup showed solid composure down the stretch hitting 2-of-4 free throws while holding Life Pacific scoreless on their final two possessions and grabbed the six-point victory.

One of the major changes Jessup made was using Stirton more at point guard, something Westerndorp said Stirton executed well, "JoeLyn did a great job in a different role to lead us in the second half."

After Stirton's 22 points and 12 rebounds, Willis added 18 points, and Creonah Bryant rounded out Jessup's double-figure scorers with 10. Miranda Zaragoza nearly had another double-double as she scored six points and grabbed 12 rebounds. 

Jessup will return home for a match up with Antelope Valley, Saturday, Dec. 14 with tip-off set for 1 p.m.


  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).