SAN DIEGO, Calif. - After taking care of business at home on Thursday against San Diego Christian, the Jessup Women's basketball team traveled to San Diego for a Saturday morning rematch. Jessup (10-8 OVR, 6-2 GSAC) grabbed the lead early in the second quarter and would not look back despite multiple runs from SDC (6-5 OVR, 3-3 GSAC) as the game finished 61-54 in favor of the Warriors.
 
Coach Hernando Planells said of his team's performance, "Our team did a great job with the quick turnaround in the early morning game at 10:30. They played hard, gave a tremendous effort, and played together, and that's all you can really ask for as a coach!"
 
Katie Campana started out hot with two jumpers in the first two minutes. Later on, in the opening quarter, JoeLyn Stirton connected on her first of three triples, and Bobbie Purify netted a mid-range jumper. Jessup led 14-12 after one.
 
Campana and Purify continued to rack up points early in the second quarter as they each converted on layups to give Jessup a five-point advantage. The remainder of the quarter saw back-and-forth scoring between both teams as the half ended 28-24, with the Warriors ahead.
 
Out of halftime, Campana picked up where she left off by driving the ball to the bucket for a layup. Stirton connected on a three-pointer at the 5:17 mark to put the Warriors up 37-28. Jessup then took a double-digit lead with a Miranda Zaragoza layup on the following possession, but would not hold it for long as SDC went on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to five. Paige Winter knocked down a jumper with 0:39 remaining in the quarter that stretched the Jessup lead, but SDC had a response, and the period ended 44-39 with the Warriors ahead.
 
After the Hawks opened the fourth quarter with a three that cut the Warrior lead to just two, Maila Lepolo responded with a triple of her own to keep the SDC at bay. Although the Hawks continued to claw their way back, the Warriors were able to hold them off as Stirton hit her third three-pointer of the game with 2:08 remaining to put Jessup ahead 58-53. From there, the Warriors sank three free-throws and held the Hawks to just one point to secure the 61-54 win.
 
Campana led all scorers with a season-high 14 points, Stirton followed with 12, and Purify added 11. Jessup held SDC to sub-30 percent field goal shooting and forced 15 turnovers.
 
Coach Planells commented on his team's defensive effort saying, "Defensively, we have really grown an identity that is both aggressive and very active, and it definitely showed today!"
 
With the win, the Warriors finish the regular season (10-8 OVR, 6-2 GSAC) and now await who their next opponent will be. At worst, the Warriors have clinched a winner take all opportunity for the GSAC East pod.
   
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 and Instagram).