ROCKLIN, Calif. – A heavyweight bout was on the card Saturday afternoon inside Warrior Arena. Two top-10 teams took center stage as the No. 8 Arizona Christian Firestorm battled the No. 4 Warriors in a battle down to the wire that saw Jessup's 13 game win streak meet its end.
 
"It was it was great to be out there playing a high-level basketball game against the team like Arizona Christian," said head coach Lance Von Vogt after the game. "Give them all the credit for doing what it took to make the plays throughout the game and down the stretch to win."
 
Saturday's contest never saw a lead change and was never tied after 0-0. The Firestorm led by as many as 14 in the first half, but with each punch ACU landed, the Warriors stayed on their feet and fought back, taking the 78-75 final to the final second of regulation.
 
Cashemin Williams once again led all players in scoring, as the junior guard dropped 19 points on 7-of-10 from the field.
 
The Warriors entered the locker room Saturday down 42-35, but the deficit could have been slimmer. Jessup trailed by two with a minute on the clock but proceeded to commit two turnovers, allowing the Firestorm to score five points in the half's final 30 seconds.
 
"We were on a roll," added Von Vogt. "We had a couple of turnovers that allowed them to get the momentum right going into halftime. We made some critical live ball mistakes."
 
Jessup pushed within one midway through the second half as Tim Strijaous scored on back-to-back possessions to make it 50-49. But ACU immediately answered with a 9-1 run to again go ahead by eight.
 
One final push for a win came in the last two minutes, starting with a fastbreak dunk that had Warrior Arena rocking, courtesy of Myles Corey. The Warriors would then force ACU to commit a five-second inbounding violation, leading to a Jayden DeJoseph three to trim the score to just two points.
 
ACU sank two free throws with six seconds on the clock to go ahead by four. Williams had a trip to the line with two seconds left, and after making the first, he intentionally missed the second, but the Warriors could not wrangle down the rebound.
 
While the late miss was intentional, free-throw shooting was a problem for the Warriors all night. Jessup shot just 58-percent (14-of-24) at the line.
 
"I do believe that we can we can execute better and play sharper," said Von Vogt. "And that includes free throws and making free throws down the stretch."
 
Both teams displayed tight defense in this one. ACU committed 19 turnovers to Jessup's 17. The Warriors also set up two extra possessions late, thanks to blocked shots by Tarren Storey-Way and Corey.
 
"It is a high-level game, and defensively we have a lot of active players or athletes, and they have a lot of active players and athletes that are big and physical, strong, quick," said Von Vogt. "And what you saw was two teams that have a lot of respect for each other, bringing everything that they had on both ends of the court."
 
Three additional Warriors ended the day in double-figures. Corey scored 12, DeJoseph scored 11, and Storey-Way finished with 10.
 
Saturday's loss drops the Warriors to 19-2 overall, 7-2 in the GSAC. The Warriors have another tough test waiting for them on Thursday, as the current first-place holders in the GSAC, Hope International, welcome Jessup to their home gym.
 
"We know you're going to win or lose every time you step on the floor," added Von Vogt. "And regardless of winning or losing, what you're going to do is you're gonna go back to the film, you're going to get into the details, you're going to correct the mistakes, and you're going to work hard to get better. You're going to trust the process of improvement, and that's what we'll do this week."
 
Hope International will enter Thursday as the No. 18 ranked program in the nation.
   
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).