CALDWELL, Idaho - Jessup women's basketball continued their daunting road trip Saturday afternoon, losing a nail-biter 58-56 to The College of Idaho Yotes. The loss puts the Warriors at 1-5 on the season and is the first win for the Yotes, who are now 1-3.
Head coach
Hernando Planells was disappointed to lose this game but knows there is value in the lessons learned through a narrow defeat.
"I think anytime you're in a close game, especially against a good team, it's important to learn time and score, and how important it is to have a shutdown defense in the last moments."
Back and Forth First Half
The Warriors started the game shot out of a cannon, as they quickly led 6-0 in a matter of moments. Quick passing and stout defense frustrated the Yotes to start; however, the Jessup found themselves down after one quarter, 15-14.
Early in the second quarter, the Warriors struggled to score, but their strong defense kept the game within reach. At the break, Jessup trailed 29-25.
Akilah Watson Provides Spark
In the third quarter, with the game neck and neck, freshman guard
Akilah Watson stepped on to the floor and helped to ignite a run. Watson was impactful on both ends of the floor as her defensive presence helped to force timely turnovers.
On the offensive end, Watson did her part as well, scoring six critical points in the third. The Warriors outscored the Yotes 18-13 in the quarter, as Jessup led 43-40 entering the fourth. Watson ended the game with 10 points, making four of her six shot attempts.
Tight Fourth Quarter
Both teams continued to duke it out into the fourth quarter right down to the wire. With only six seconds left on the game clock, the Warriors were able to force a turnover leading to a fast break; however, a last-second shot missed the mark, and Jessup lost a close one.
Leading the Box Score
Leading the Warriors in scoring was the freshman duo of
Paige Winter and
Akilah Watson, each with ten points, while
Miranda Zaragoza had another double-digit rebounding game with ten.
Planells ended by saying his team will "continue to learn and apply all the lessons from this week and be committed to playing forty minutes of Jessup basketball." He added, "They don't give up, and you'll see more of that as time goes on!"
What's Up Next?
Despite a tough loss, Jessup will get another shot at defeating the Yotes as they are set to play again on Sunday at 1 p.m.
and The game can be streamed
HERE.
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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 @Jess
upAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
