ASHLAND, Ore. – One streak was bound to end on Monday as the Warriors visited Southern Oregon University in Ashland. With the home-standing Raiders riding a 19-game home winning streak and the Warriors coming in victors of five straight, Jessup pieced together a great fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought road victory.
 
For Jessup, now 9-5 this season, they take down their second ranked opponent of the season. SOU entered the day ranked No. 23 in the nation. Jessup previously beat then No. 12 Vanguard on December 1.
 
Monday was the 13th all-time meeting between the Warriors and Raiders. The series has not gone in Jessup's favor, as it's just the second win all-time for Jessup against SOU. It's the Warriors' first win over SOU since 2010 and first-ever over the Raiders in Ashland.
 
Head coach Corey Laster said postgame he was unaware of the streak Jessup snapped on Monday. "I didn't know that going into the game, but it's probably a good thing I didn't know that. Going into the break, this was huge for us to keep our momentum going. We've had a lot of big wins at home this year, now we have to figure out how to win on the road. So this was a big game for us."
 
It was a combined effort throughout to lead Jessup in scoring. Kayla Vieira led the way with 15 points, converting on 5-of-7 from the floor. She narrowly missed out on a double-double as she totaled nine boards. Makaila Napoleon was also in double-figures, scoring 14 in the win.
 
On Vieira and Napoleon's showing, Laster added, "I thought Kayla was great for us all game long. She made some really big baskets throughout as was super steady. And we expected Makaila to draw a lot of attention and get featured on, but she also come through with some really good perimeter baskets."
 
Makaila Glynn stuffed the stat sheet in three columns, scoring ten to pair with seven rebounds and a team-leading four assists. Jessup recorded an assist on 15 of their 20 baskets from the floor.
 
It was a narrow contest throughout, with each of the first three quarters ending with one side leading by only one. Jessup led at the end of the first quarter, but quarters two and three saw SOU sit atop the scoreboard.
 
The flip Jessup needed came in the fourth as they shot 42 percent to SOU's 29, outscoring the Raiders by ten in the process.
 
Jessup led for the final 7:26 of regulation as Napoleon's layup gave them the advantage for good. The final horn would sound with Jessup holding its largest lead of the night, nine, as the scoreboard read 59-50.
 
"We did a lot of switching against them defensively and took them out of a lot of sets that allowed us to really get help and contain the dribble," added Laster on the fourth quarter flip.
 
With a six-game win streak now at hand, Jessup will take some much-needed time off over the next week as players return home to celebrate Christmas. Jessup will not see competition again until December 30, when Midland (Neb.) visits Rocklin.
 
"We come back after seven days off and start practice," Laster added on the break. "I think the game against Midland is really important for us before we start back on the conference side of play. Hopefully we come back well on the conditioning side of things. The nice part is, you know, everybody is on break. So most teams are probably taking some time off right now."
 
GSAC basketball will resume on January 5 when the Warriors host No. 2 ranked Westmont.  
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).