EL CAJON, Calif. – The road to a conference championship started on Thursday, as the No. 15 ranked Warriors paid a visit to San Diego Christian College to begin GSAC play. For the second time in under a week, the Warriors had to play catchup, as a second half comeback secures Jessup an 80-71 victory to start the GSAC season.
 
On getting win number one of the GSAC season, head coach Lance Von Vogt stated, "This is what we needed. We take it one game at a time, and we talk about making every game the most important game of the season. It's a one game season, and we were able to win this little one game season, and that's the way you want to do it."
 
The Warriors improve to 16-1 lifetime against the Hawks, pushing their win streak to 15 over San Diego Christian. SDCC's only win against the Warriors came in their first trip to Rocklin, a 78-69 victory on February 28, 2015.
 
It was a slow start for the Warriors in this one. While Jessup posted a 45 percent clip from the field in the opening 20 minutes, they were met by a 56 percent showing by the Hawks. A 9-0 run for SDCC midway through the half had them on top by 11, leading 24-13.
 
The Warriors trimmed SDCC's lead to three on a triple from Nigel McKay, but back came the Hawks to close out the half on a 15-8 run to take a 41-34 lead into the break.
 
Jessup saw a stark difference in the second half, turning up their shooting numbers to 63 percent (17-of-27). Jessup also locked down on the Hawks, turning their hot shooting into an icy 29.7 percent performance in the final 20 minutes.
 
"Well, first thing we did was we stopped turning the ball over," said Von Vogt on what changed in the second half. "We went from 14 turnovers in the first half to six turnovers in the second half, which allowed up to get in more of a rhythm."
 
"It's hard to shoot the ball when things are so disjointed and you're out of rhythm, and the first half that's the way we were for the full 20 minutes. It was a struggle. In the second half we did a better job of taking care of the ball, being stronger with it, and that allowed us to create more of a rhythm."
 
Jessup took a 51-49 lead on McKay's fast break layup, set up on the opposite end by a steal from Luke Sayre. After the Hawks bounced back to regain the advantage, Jessup pieced together a 10-0 run, capped off with back-to-back threes from McKay and Cashemin Williams to give Jessup a six-point lead.
 
It would be all Warriors for the final seven minutes, setting up the GSAC win.
 
Williams led the scoring efforts with 20 points, paired with five assists, three rebounds, and three steals. McKay and Myles Corey each finished with 13 points. Ty Artis added a dozen.
 
Jessup will continue the conference season on Saturday when they take on Hope International University. In three games with the Royals last season, Jessup went 3-0, but finished with a point differential of only +7.
 
On playing Hope International, Von Vogt added, "Hope is one of the best teams in the country every year, and it's an extremely tough place to play. We're expecting to have a great game against them. We're going to need to play very well in order to come out of Saturday with a win. And I think our guys understand how important each one of these games are in the GSAC."
 
The Warriors almost played Hope International a fourth time, but a buzzer beater by Oregon Tech ended the Royals' season in the NAIA Opening Round. Jessup went on to beat Oregon Tech to advance to the Sweet 16.
 
Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Darling Pavilion in Fullerton.
   
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).