SAN DIMAS, Calif. – Losing four in a row has not sat well with the Jessup Women's Basketball program. After nearly pulling off an upset in their GSAC opener Thursday, Jessup came in motivated Saturday to reach .500 in GSAC play, doing just that as they defeated Life Pacific 57-26.
 
It took some time for either team to find a groove, as the first basket made from the field came two minutes into the action. The game sat tied at 9-9 in the final seconds of the first period when Natalie Moulos connected on a 3-pointer to send Jessup into the quarter break leading 12-9.
 
Life Pacific climbed back with a 5-0 run to even the score at 14-14, and they would take the lead a few minutes later on a Julia Cruz three. Jessup responded with a 6-0 run to finish the quarter, giving them a 22-17 lead entering halftime.
 
Out of the halftime break, the game took a 180-degree flip in favor of Jessup.
 
Life Pacific connected on a jumper from Nataly Cruz with 8:17 remaining in the quarter, and that would be the final basket scored by LPU in the period. Jessup played their most dominating quarter of basketball this season, outscoring their opponents 22-2 in the ten-minute stretch.
 
Monica Valenzuela had the bulk of the offense in the third, scoring eight points in the period. Six different Warriors would contribute points during this stretch.
 
Head coach Corey Laster credited Jessup's run with their ability to finally knock down some shots. "I thought we actually had really good looks throughout most of the game even when it was tight. I would take 17 or whatever the halftime score is most games defensively, but I was I didn't think a whole lot needed to change and then we had to settle down and really just made shots and tried to stay pretty positive during the halftime talk."
 
Monica Valenzuela had the bulk of the offense in the third, scoring eight points in the period. Six different Warriors would contribute points during this stretch.
 
Jessup kept up the pressure entering the fourth, scoring the first two baskets of the period. From the closing stretches of the second quarter to the midway break of the fourth, Jessup had outscored Life Pacific 36-5.
 
The Warriors controlled the game in more areas than just the scoreboard, as they also won the rebounding battle 59-42. Jennifer Pedretti (8), Juliette Caughey (6), Makaila Glynn (6), Kayla Vieira (6), Jacklyn Kulow (5), and Mia Ledesma-Old Elk (5) all had big games on the glass.
 
Scoring-wise, Valenzuela led the Warriors with 11 points while Bobby Purify contributed ten. Vieira closed with eight points, while Cheyenne Jankulovski scored seven.
 
Saturday was the second consecutive game where the Warriors went with the additions of Jankulovksi, Purify, and Pedretti in the starting lineup. Laster credited their defensive effort as to why they have made a difference in the lineup.
 
"I think defensively there's three of our hardest working kids. We sort of talked about it as a staff and really all had similar ideals and changing things up. So far, that group has helped us to get off to a better start, and there's a lot our freshmen that have some time to grow up and not have to do it in a lot of minutes."
 
With two conference games in the bag, the Warriors will revert to non-conference games for the remainder of 2021. The conference season will resume on January 6 when the Warriors take on Westmont College in Santa Barbara.
 
Next up for Jessup is a rematch with their opponents from the NAIA Opening Round a year ago, Lewis-Clark State College. This will be the first of two games Jessup will play next weekend in the William Jessup Thanksgiving Classic. The Warriors will also take on Southern Oregon on Saturday.
 
Laster looks forward to a week of practice leading up to next weekend, adding, "I think we look forward to getting back and having some practice time being able to get back into my normal routine. And so, you know, every time we've been able to get on the floor and practice, I felt like this really helped us to advance a little bit so we'll see how this week goes and see if we can continue to grow."
   
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).