ROCKLIN, Calif. – Playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Warriors took on the Southern Oregon Raiders Saturday night in the finale of the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic. On a day filled with highlight moments inside Warrior Arena, the nightcap was no different, as the Warriors escaped with an overtime victory.
 
Now 3-1, the Warriors have found a way to win with a number of players not at their disposal. Head coach Lance Von Vogt spoke after the game about his team's poise to battle through this adversity.
 
"I'm thrilled with the victory. And the thing I'm thrilled about the most is how hard these guys played, how gritty they were, how much they believed in one another. And, you know, we're down four guys, four of our key players, and they stuck together. They didn't use that as an excuse to fold and go away when Southern Oregon, who's a heck of a team, went on their run in the second half and had a chance to put us away."
 
Jessup had this one wrapped up with a bow on it late, as Ty Artis tipped in a shot with single digits on the clock, giving Jessup the lead. An inbound violation on the ensuing possession gave the Warriors the ball back, but a trip to the line by Myles Corey resulted in just one make.
 
Down three, the Raiders threw up a prayer, and the prayer was answered. A bank at the buzzer from Josh Meyer sent the contest to overtime.
 
Overtime would be all Jessup from the jump, as the Warriors turned the opening tip into a fastbreak layup by Jordan Adams. Southern Oregon would never even the score again, as Jessup walked away on the winning end of a 93-88 final.
 
Many of Jessup's usual suspects were found at the top of the box score, as Cashemin Williams led everyone with 26 points on 7-of-12 from the floor. Adams closed with 21, adding ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Corey dropped 14.
 
One of the sparks Jessup looked to in the second half was newcomer Nigel McKay. No stranger to Southern Oregon as he transferred to Jessup from SOU's conference rival Warner Pacific, McKay scored 16 points, all coming in the second half.
 
Von Vogt offered praise to McKay's performance, adding, "Nigel is a guy that we were super excited to sign when he decided to transfer from Warner Pacific. He's come in, and he's been one of the most coachable, hardworking guys. And that gave me the confidence and trust to put him in a big moment, and he delivered. I expect that we'll see more and more of that as we move forward through the season."
 
The Warriors struggled on the glass Saturday night, losing out on the rebounding battle 47-32. On how they combated the notable size mismatch, Von Vogt added, "I was really happy with our defensive toughness and awareness and communication. And I was really happy with our efficiency on the offensive side of the basketball. Tonight was the best offensive game that we've had all year. Southern Oregon had a great game plan. They played terrific defense, and it challenged us every possession down to stay within ourselves and to play to our strengths."
 
Jessup will need to learn from the tape because their next opponent will use tonight as motivation in their next matchup. That next opponent is none other than Southern Oregon.
 
After an overtime battle, Von Vogt said of having to see SOU again so soon, "It's going to stretch our ability to see how we can really correct some things and get better between now and Thursday. It's going to be a little bit of a chess match. I know Southern Oregon is going to do a great job preparing for us, and we're going to do the best job we can to prepare for them."
 
That contest is scheduled for Thursday night in Ashland at 7 p.m.  
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).