ROCKLIN, Calif. - After dropping two in Arizona last weekend, Jessup was back on the court Friday night in need of a win as the Ottawa Spirit came to town. Down to the closing seconds, Jessup got back to their winning ways, taking the game 86-81.
 
"When you go a long time without a loss, then you experience a loss against a great team like Arizona Christian, you always want to see how you are going to bounce back," said Head Coach Lance Von Vogt after Friday's game.
 
The entirety of Friday's contest was a back-and-forth affair. After the two teams jumped out to a 9-9 start, the Spirit embarked on a 14-3 run to push their lead to 22-12. The run did not stagger the Warriors, as they climbed their way back to eventually take the lead at 33-32. 
 
In a very high-scoring game throughout the first half, Jessup shot 50-percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. With equally as hot of a hand, the Spirit put up a 56.5-percent showing from the field in the half.
 
Jessup entered the locker room, trailing by the score of 43-39.
 
Out the gates in the second half, neither team had trouble finding the bottom of the net as both sides put up 17 points each in the opening five minutes of the half. 
 
Near the midway point of the half, Jessup began to grab momentum, as a 9-0 run capped off by a three from Tarren Storey-Way put the Warriors up 65-60. Jessup held the lead within five to eight points up until the final minute of the game.
 
That is where things got interesting, as OUAZ chipped away and cut Jessup's lead to two. With the opportunity to seal the game, Malik Corey went 1-of-2 at the line, pushing Jessup's lead to three. A traveling violation on the ensuing possession ended any chances for the game going to overtime, sealing a Jessup win.
 
Von Vogt praised how his team battled down the stretch, stating, "We anchored in and executed. We executed down the stretch, and it was really good to see."
 
Leading in the scoring column Friday was Storey-Way, who dropped 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Also in double-figures were Matthew Schmidt (15), Tim Strijaous (13), and Myles Corey (11). 
 
The Warriors shot a 53.2-percent clip from the field Friday night, combatted by a 49-percent showing from the Spirit. 
 
Just one more game remains on the Jessup schedule this year, as the Warriors will hold Senior Day tomorrow at 1 p.m. In the second of back-to-back games against Ottawa, the Warriors will look to stake their claim for an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament. 
 
Von Vogt added to the urgency of ending the season with a win, as their future lies in the balance. 
 
"This is what you play for. We have an opportunity to make a strong case to go to the National Tournament. We've played seven opponents who are nationally ranked. All of those games have been on the road. Our only losses of the season have been against top-15 teams in the country.
 
"It's going to be a battle. (Ottawa) is going to come back strong. If we can close it out and do what we need to do, then I believe we've earned the right to go to the National Tournament."  
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).