SAN DIMAS, Calif. – Two days removed from their first loss of the season, Jessup was back on the court Saturday to take on Life Pacific University. In a game highlighted by an unlikely hero, 40 minutes were not enough to tell the story, as two overtime periods were needed before Jessup could walk away with a 98-95 victory.
 
"You have to give credit to Life Pacific," said head coach Lance Von Vogt after the game. "They challenged us tonight, and if not for some big plays by our guys down the stretch, they would come out on top. They have an excellent coach in Tim Cook. They gave us their best today."
 
Saturday's first half was dominated by an unlikely hero, guard Jordan Adams. Having yet to score this season, Adams' scoreless drought ended with 14:26 remaining in the half as he drained a 3-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Adams connected again from deep. He would hit three more times from beyond the arc in the first half, as he entered halftime with 17 points.
 
"Jordan continues to work on his game, and you saw that today," added Von Vogt on the fantastic first half of Adams. "Today shows how deep we are on this team, you know, because we can turn to anyone and trust they will perform. We have always known Jordan is capable of days like this."
 
Even with the stellar shooting of Adams, Jessup could not pull away as with each make, Life Pacific was right there to answer. The first half Saturday saw nine ties and nine lead changes, as the Warriors entered the break with a narrow 42-40 lead.
 
Jessup stretched the lead to nine early in the second half off a three from Jayden DeJoseph, followed by a Myles Corey layup. After LPU quickly scored six straight, the Warriors got the lead back to seven on Adams' sixth triple of the night. Life Pacific charged back to cut the Jessup lead to one, but once again, the Warriors thwarted away the comeback, scoring four straight to go ahead by five.
 
But Life Pacific had an answer, scoring seven of the following eight points to take the lead.
 
Taking the lead with 8:16 to play, Life Pacific began adding on their slim margin, pushing the advantage to as many as seven with just over two minutes remaining.
 
Jessup made one final push, cutting the deficit to three on layups from Cashemin Williams and Matthew Schmidt. With 42 seconds to play, LPU's lead was gone as Kehmarr McMillian converted on a three-point-play, evening the game at 77-77.
 
But once again, LPU answered, taking a 79-77 lead thanks to a layup from Pedro Leal-Cruz. Adams was fouled on the ensuing Jessup possession, allowing him to sink two at the line to send the game to overtime.
 
Overtime ended identically to regulation, as after a Williams basket put Jessup ahead by one, LPU was fouled with four seconds left, giving them a chance to win. On the free throws, they went one-of-two, sending the contest to a second overtime.
 
Jessup did not want to play a third overtime, as threes from Williams and DeJoseph gave them a six-point cushion with 1:20 to play. LPU didn't go down without a fight, scoring five in the final minute, but five was not enough as Jessup narrowly returns home a winner.
 
Adams ended the day setting a new Jessup career-high with 26 points. He went 6-of-12 from distance. Williams scored 24 points on 7-of-12 from the field. Corey also closed in double figure2 with 12 points.
 
Kyler Villarreal and Austin Cook of LPU both finished with 21 points.
 
Von Vogt concluded by expressing that while this win is important, it's on to the next one for Jessup. "We are happy with the win, but the most important game on the schedule is Cal Maritime Tuesday night. We can't get caught up in this win, you know, we have a good basketball team that almost beat us last week coming to our gym, and we know we are going to get their best."
 
Jessup gets two days off before they next hit the court on Tuesday when Cal Maritime visits Warrior Arena. It will be the first of two home games next week as the Warriors will welcome Eastern Oregon University on Friday for a 3 p.m. tip.
   
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).