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01
Brad Elliott, Westmont College
54
William Jessup WJU 20-11
74
Winner Westmont WC 26-3
William Jessup WJU
20-11
54
Final
74
Westmont WC
26-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
William Jessup WJU 13 17 13 11 54
Westmont WC 20 24 14 16 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Quinton Lilley

Warriors fall in semi-final of GSAC Tournament

The Warriors fair well in the opening 10 minutes but ultimately fell after some hot shooting from Westmont.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A day after winning their first-ever GSAC Tournament game, the Jessup women's basketball team faced off with No. 1 seed Westmont, and while the Warriors fought to the very end, Jessup eventually fell 74-54 Friday afternoon.

The quarter-final win on Thursday came at a high price as center Miranda Zaragoza was forced to fight through injury most of the game Friday and Westmont used their perimeter shooting to subdue Jessup for the third time this season.

Coach Kurt Westendorp said Westmont's execution proved to be the difference. "Westmont is one of the more offensively efficient teams in the nation. They did a great job today sharing the basketball deep into possessions to get quality shots."

The game began as a nip-and-tuck battle with Aycee Willis quickly getting into a rhythm for Jessup as she scored on two driving lay-ups to keep the Warriors in striking distance halfway through the frame. In the final two minutes of the second quarter, Westmont went on a quick 5-0 run that pushed the deficit up to seven at 20-13.

In the second quarter, senior point guard Liz Gehweiler came out on fire as she hit two three-pointers cutting Westmont's lead to just one at 20-19 with 8:27 left. However, Westmont responded immediately going on an 8-0 run to push the deficit up to nine.

From there both teams traded baskets before Westmont took their first double-digit lead of the game at 35-25 forcing a Jessup timeout with 4:27 left. The Warriors were unable to stop Westmont's momentum as the went into halftime behind 44-30.

The second half got underway for Jessup when Zaragoza hit her first shot from the field cutting the deficit to 12, but the Warriors were unable to create a major run as Westmont extended their lead to 20 by the midway point of the third.

The Warriors fought to cut the lead back down to 15 by the end of the frame, but in the fourth quarter, they couldn't get any closer than within 14 as Westmont eventually took the 20-point victory.

On the night Westmont made 13 three-pointers, compared to Jessups eight and the home team also had a substantially low four turnovers. The Warriors also struggled from the field shooting just 32-percent while Westmont shot 45-percent.

Aycee Willis led all scorers with 21 points, and Liz Gehweiler was the only other Jessup player in double figures with 11.

Westendorp praised his team's mental toughness throughout the season but especially of late as they had to play at less than full strength. "This team has a ton of resolve. We had some extra obstacles in our way on this trip but those things didn't change our goals. We have a hardworking group and they did a great job of battling it out until the end."

He also thanked his senior class who could have possibly played their last game in a Jessup uniform. "Our senior class is a special group. The three that were on the court today were all two-year players that helped us to the best two seasons in school history. This program's experienced tremendous growth because of the people in it. They believe in what we're trying to do and are constantly striving to be better. It's been fun to come to the gym each day and we're looking forward to our next opportunity to be better as a unit."


The Warriors have a slight chance of receiving an at-large bid but won't know for sure until Sunday when the NAIA announces the National Tournament field.


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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).
 
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