ROCKLIN, Calif. – The stresses of finals week around Jessup have come to an end, and with it, winter break has begun. But there was no break for the Warriors as they jumped back on the court Saturday evening to host their NorCal rivals from Menlo College.
 
It came down to the wire Saturday night, with both sides deadlocked at 55 in the final seconds. A scramble for the ball near the Warriors' basket set up an attempt by Natalie Moulos with five on the clock. Needing to beat the expiring shot clock, Moulos found the bank, connecting for three to land the victory.
 
A trip to the line with 0.1 seconds remaining ultimately set the score at its final, 60-57.
 
"It was a fun game. Menlo brings it," said head coach Corey Laster. "They play hard, and I have a lot of respect for what they do over there. We watched a lot of film, so we knew it was gonna be a close game. They played really hard, and that's exactly what we got."
 
The Warriors move to 8-5 overall (4-1 GSAC) with the victory. Jessup ends their five-game homestand a perfect 5-0.
 
Saturday night was a neck-and-neck battle throughout, with Menlo taking a one-point advantage into the halftime break. Jessup took the lead in the third on an Andrea Jovicevic free throw, but their one-point advantage quickly went away. It wasn't until Moulos' jumper with 5:54 remaining in regulation that Jessup sat on a two-possession lead.
 
Leading the Warriors in scoring was Makaila Napoleon, dropping 17 on 5-of-12 from the floor. She added seven boards to her stat line. Moulos and Makaila Glynn ended the night scoring ten points, with Glynn leading the squad with nine rebounds.
 
Jessup shot 38 percent from the floor, but the stat Laster was happiest about was turnovers, as the Warriors turned the ball over only 13 times.
 
"I'm happy with only having 13 turnovers out there on the floor," added Laster. "The girls did a great job of finishing their finals this week and then coming ready to play today."
 
With their five-game homestand now over, the Warriors now hit the road for a pair of games, starting Thursday at UC Davis. Jessup will then be in Ashland next week to take on Southern Oregon.
 
During this time on the road, Laster hopes to work in some missing players from the first half of the season. "We'll get (Jacklyn Kulow) back, so I think that will help us. We'll have to figure out how we want to incorporate her back into the fold. She was a starter for us last year."
 
The Warriors return to Warrior Arena on December 30, when they host Midland University.
   
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).