ROCKLIN, Calif. – Defense was paramount in Friday afternoon's game as Jessup welcomed the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers to Warrior Arena for some holiday basketball. EOU would not go silently, as a battle both ways for 40-minutes finally tipped towards Jessup, 67-54.
 
The win is the ninth of the young season for this Jessup squad, as they move to 9-1 overall.
 
"I'm excited about the potential for this team," said head coach Lance Von Vogt. "I don't believe we played our best basketball yet. To be 9-1 and have our best basketball in front of us bodes well for the remainder of the season. This team has the talent and the versatility and the depth to do a lot of things, and I'm excited to see exactly where we end up at the end."
 
Both teams came out of the gate with a fast-paced offense in the first half, but strong defense matched it as neither side shot above fifty percent. Jessup and Eastern Oregon traded scores through most of the first half, as neither side could pull away. The biggest lead either side had in the first half was six.

The start of Friday's game saw a collection of baskets traded by both teams before a two-possession lead was finally taken by the Mountaineers with 11:57 to play. Baskets from Malik Corey and Tim Strijaous quickly wiped that away, evening the score at 16-16.

Matthew Schmidt was a force in the post, leading the Warriors in scoring during the first frame with nine. Cashemin Williams and Myles Corey each added seven. Corey ended the first half with one of the biggest plays of the night, going coast to coast and forcing a foul with half of a second on the clock to add two key free throws to extend the Warrior lead to 32-27 at the break.

The Warriors opened the second half with some struggles in the post, as three offensive foul calls on Tim Strijaous put the ball in Eastern Oregon's hands. Despite this, Jessup stayed aggressive offensively and pulled out to its first double-digit lead of the night. Myles Corey and Schmidt were once again pivotal with multiple key shots for the Warriors on the run.

The Warriors shot much better from the field in the second half, sinking 13-of-24 shots and 8-of-13 from the free-throw line. Jayden DeJoseph broke a cold streak for Jessup from deep with a three-pointer that hit all sides of the rim before dropping, giving the Warriors a 58-46 lead with 5:38 to play. 

The younger of the Corey brothers, Myles, and his backcourt partner Williams led the scoring for Jessup in the second half with nine and seven, respectively. They led the Warriors in overall points with 16 and 14. Schmidt was in double figures as well with 13. Strijaous led the Warriors with seven boards.

"I'm very happy with the play of Myles, Cash, and (Schmidt). I thought Tim (Strijaous) gave us a good boost off the bench. We're looking forward to taking the next step as a team and as a program."

EOU would actually win the Battle of the board narrowly 34-32, with a 14-10 advantage on the offensive glass. The Warriors will want to clean up the turnover margin, as Jessup committed 20 to the Mountaineers 18.

Even with the mistakes, Von Vogt credits his team's ability to lock in after a holiday 24 hours ago. "Really proud of how the guys performed the night and came back after Thanksgiving to earn a great win against a very good Eastern Oregon squad. I'm proud of our non-conference schedule and the way that we've been able to be successful through that schedule."

It's a needed break in the schedule now for Jessup, as they have not gone more than four days without having a game. This break will be six days as the conference season resumes on Horton Court on Saturday.

Next up for Jessup is a GSAC battle with San Diego Christian at home on Thursday, December 4. The Warriors will have Friday night off before welcoming Hope International to town for a Saturday afternoon tip-off.   
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).