EL CAJON, Calif. – Conference basketball got underway Thursday evening as the Warriors traveled south to take on San Diego Christian. In a dominating performance from the opening tip, Jessup got win number one of the conference season as they took down the Hawks 69-48.
 
Head coach Corey Laster said on his team's performance, "Anytime you can start conference play with a win, it's good. Winning on the road is always the key to trying to do something in conference. Our goal was to come out and get this one. We did a great job on the defensive side, trying to establish ourselves early. We're still a young team in some ways. So there's still some mistakes to clean up."
 
The Warriors came into Thursday's matchup with history on their side, as Jessup had won the last ten meetings against the Hawks. With the win, Jessup improves to 13-6 all-time against San Diego Christian.
 
Jessup also improves to 3-4 this season, as they avenge an overtime loss to The College of Idaho their last time on the floor.
 
Leading the Warriors in scoring Thursday night was Makaila Napoleon with 25 points, doing on an a 10-of-12 shooting performance. Napoleon contributed to her scoring line by pulling down ten rebounds and dishing out five assists in a double-double performance.
 
On the season, Napoleon is now averaging 17.2 points per game, paired with seven rebounds per performance.
 
"She's tough down low," added Laster on Napoleon. "She scores, you know, she's a load down there. She just has a knack for searching for stuff to gain attention."
 
Also contributing to the score line was Andrea Jovicevic, dropping 16 points on 7-of-9 from the floor. Natalie Moulos added a dozen, paired with five assists and four boards.
 
Laster added that there is a nice connection on the floor between Napoleon and Jovicevic, noting, "They have a nice connection with each other, and (Jovicevic) knows how to move off ball and that helps us quite a bit. (Jovicevic) is also a pretty good three-point shooter. So that's a good balance between those two. They've given us a good look this year so far."
 
Jessup jumped out to a 21-9 lead through one quarter, paced by five straight points to start the night. The Warriors kicked it up a notch in the second, outscoring the Hawks 17-9 to take a 38-21 lead into the locker room. A 12-2 run from the Warriors sent them into the locker room riding a wave of momentum.
 
"Overall, the quality was really great for us," added Laster on the first half production. "We established our interior presence. We finished really well in the first half."
 
That momentum continued after the break, with the Warriors doubling up SDCC with a 16-8 advantage in the third.
 
Jessup shot 52 percent from the floor Thursday night, compared to a 27 percent showing from the Hawks.
 
The Warriors continue their Southern California road trip on Saturday when they take on Hope International at 3 p.m.
 
Jessup will be back home in Warrior Arena next weekend for the second-annual William Jessup Thanksgiving Classic. The Warriors will take on Simpson (Friday) and Oregon Tech (Saturday). Tickets are available HERE.
   
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).