VALLEJO, Calif. – Monday's battle in the Bay Area allowed little time for fans to catch their breath as the Warriors wrapped up their preseason with a visit to the Cal Maritime Keelhaulers. In a game where the Warriors played from behind the majority of the night, it took a late push for Jessup to earn the 73-66 win and a 6-0 record.
 
Head Coach Lance Von Vogt spoke about his team's dog fight mentality after the win against Southern Oregon Friday night. He doubled down on that tonight while offering praise for his opponent.
 
"Cal Maritime gave us everything we wanted and more. And they challenged us at every aspect of the game. And if our guys didn't respond down the stretch, they would have won. And I give credit to Cal Maritime. They tested us in every way, and I have just a lot of respect for that program and what Coach Bross is doing with them. "
 
Jessup had a tough time getting into a rhythm early on, scoring no points in the first five minutes. Maritime took advantage to jump out to a 6-0 run before Tim Strijaous finally got his team on the board with a layup.
 
The Warriors would tie the game on two occasions in the first half, equalizing the score at 11-11 and 13-13. For the rest of the half, Jessup played from behind, with the Keelhaulers taking a six-point lead into the final minute of the half before baskets from Myles Corey and Nathan Kasongo sent Jessup into the break down just one.
 
Cal Maritime stretched their lead to five just three minutes into the half before Jessup clawed back to even the score at 37-37, the fourth tie of the night. With just over 14 minutes remaining, Charlie Garrison connected on a layup to give the Warriors their first lead of the night.
 
Jessup stretched the lead to four thanks to a slam dunk from Corey, but the Keelhaulers came back again.
 
Maritime embarked on a 6-0 run to retake the lead, and it was a back-and-forth fight from there on out. Both sides traded basket-for-basket for the next five minutes, setting the score at 54-54.
 
It was at this point that, for the first time all night, the Warriors began to break away. Jayden DeJoseph sank his third 3-pointer of the night, and it was quickly followed by a triple from Jaylen Johnson. The Warriors led by six, but once again, here came the Keelhaulers.
 
Maritime charged back with a 6-0 run to level the score at 62-62, and the Warriors had finally had enough. Jessup went on an 11-4 run over the final four minutes of the game to secure the victory, keeping their perfect preseason alive.
 
Von Vogt credited a lack of communication with Jessup's inability to put the game away sooner. "Ultimately, we just didn't really do a good job of communicating, and so Maritime took advantage of that. They were able to score at big moments to not allow us to, you know, push the lead out or make a double-digit or anything like that."
 
Shot selection was an issue the Warriors faced Monday night, connecting on just 7-of-29 from distance.
 
"I think that our shot selection wasn't as disciplined as what it was up in Oregon tonight, but a lot of that had to do with Cal Maritime's game planning," added Von Vogt. "We had some looks early, they didn't go in, and we just really didn't ever get comfortable with the three-point line. And you know, that definitely worked into (Maritime's) favor."
 
Leading the Warriors in the scoring column was Myles Corey, with 13 points. His brother, Malik Corey, dropped 12 points off the bench on 6-of-10 shooting. Johnson (12) and Strijaous (10) also closed the night in double-figures.

Jessup won the rebound battle 42-35, with Garrison leading all players with 11. Johnson also closed with eight boards.
 
With six preseason contests in the books, the Warriors now shift focus to the conference schedule as Jessup visits Vanguard on Thursday. But, before that, the NAIA will get a new look as the latest Coaches Poll is released on Wednesday.
 
Von Vogt is no stranger to the voting process and has his focus on the bigger picture moving forward. "We're going to focus on what we can control, and that's going to be how we play on Thursday against Vanguard. As we open up conference play, we figured if we keep winning, it doesn't matter what happens on this poll. It matters where we stand at the end of the year."
 
Thursday's 7:30 p.m. tip will be followed by a Saturday afternoon trip to San Dimas to take on Life Pacific University.
   
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).