KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Stepping onto the home court of Oregon Tech, Jessup knew they would get the best out of their nationally-ranked opponents Saturday night. It was a fight early on, but Jessup would turn on the afterburners in the second half, moving to 5-0 with an 89-78 victory over the No. 13 Owls.
 
The win was historic for Jessup's head coach Lance Von Vogt, as it is the 250th career victory of his head coaching career.
 
"When you get 250 wins, it means two things," said Von Vogt. "One, you've been doing it a long time, and two, you've had a lot of amazing people, you know, with the players, praise goes to the players, the assistant coaches, and your family. My wife, my daughters who support me so that I can coach. For me, I just want to honor those that have been a part of that everything that I've been through."
 
Both sides traded baskets to start Saturday night before the Warriors finally gained some separation after a 3-pointer from Cashemin Williams was followed by a layup from Malik Corey, which gave Jessup a 19-14 advantage.
 
The Warriors would push that to a 10-0 run, giving them their first double-digit lead of the night before the Owls clawed back to cut the lead to three. Oregon Tech got within one near the six-minute mark, but a three-ball from Jayden DeJoseph made it a two-possession game yet again.
 
Von Vogt spoke highly of DeJoseph after the game, adding, "He's just one of those guys, he's kind of like a security blanket for the team and for me the coach because he's the guy that can stretch the defense and hit big shots. He's six-five, so he's tall enough and long enough to guard most people."
 
"(Jayden) is gonna give everything he has to help the team whether he scores three or he scores 20. He's going to be happy that the team played well, and we earned the victory."
 
Jessup took a 45-39 lead into the halftime break.
 
Oregon Tech came out firing to start the second half, connecting on seven straight points to take the lead. The lead was short-lived as Jessup quickly answered back and countered each subsequent OIT basket to keep the game at two possessions.
 
The breaking point came near the five-minute mark as DeJoseph and Myles Corey drained back-to-back threes, pushing Jessup's lead once again to ten. Jessup kept the pressure on, as a three-point-play from Tim Strijaous and a Williams layup had the lead at 14, the largest of the night.
 
Von Vogt credited Jessup's transition play with helping them to break the game open. "Oregon Tech is one of the best-coached teams in the country. They're just an excellent program. So if any opportunity we can create the transition helps us, and I thought that the second half, during that stretch, we spaced the game out and we did really well in transition."
 
In the game's final two minutes, Tech did all they could to keep themselves alive, sending Jessup to the line on each possession. With 60 seconds remaining, OIT head coach Justin Parnell called off the dogs as the Warriors could run out the time and pick up a second win over a very talented Owls squad.
 
Williams was the dominating scorer on the night, dropping 23 points while finishing 8-of-11 from the floor. Myles Corey would collect 18 points while also recording two blocks on the defensive end. Matthew Schmidt had another big night, closing with 16 points.
 
Jessup displayed a lot of depth in the win Saturday as 11 players recorded playing time, ten of which saw double-digit minutes.
 
"Well, to be honest with you, we have a couple more guys that could have probably played ten minutes," added Von Vogt on his team's depth. "So you know we got guys that aren't getting in the game that are good enough to help us this year. And we just keep preaching to stay ready next man up mentality."
 
Saturday's win is the penultimate game of the preseason for the Warriors as they are scheduled to take on the California Maritime Academy Monday night in Vallejo.
 
"We have this short turnaround and we're going on the road again," Von Vogt added. "And then we're going on another road down to Vanguard. So this is the middle of six road games in a row. So it's about the consistency and getting into the rhythm of the season. This was a big win. But the most important game of the season now turns over to Cal maritime on Monday."
 
After the date in Vallejo, Jessup will pack their bags and head to So Cal for the 2021 GSAC opener. The Warriors will be in Costa Mesa Saturday night to take on Vanguard before visiting Life Pacific in San Dimas.
   
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).