KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Warriors are on their way to the Show-Me State this week as the 2022 NAIA National Tournament resumes Thursday. After winning two games in the Rocklin Bracket over the weekend to capture the NAIA Opening Round crown, the Warriors are one of 16 remaining teams in the Battle for the Red Banner.
 
Up next is yet another familiar foe in the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats. This will be the second meeting between the Warriors and Wildcats this season. The two squads squared off in Daytona Beach on December 18, resulting in a 75-69 Jessup victory.
 
Head coach Lance Von Vogt offered high praise of his opponent, stating, "Indiana Wesleyan is one of the best programs in the country. And we played them way back in December."
 
Myles Corey led the scoring in the first matchup, dropping 25 points on an 8-of-12 shooting performance. Cashemin Williams contributed 16, while Tarren Storey-Way added 11.
 
The Wildcats come into Thursday's matchup 28-6 on the season. They defeated Montreat (80-65) and Indiana Tech (70-47) to advance out of the Marian Bracket.
 
Both the Warriors and Wildcats will now have to adjust to life on the road as each team played their Opening Round contests on their respective home courts.
 
Senior Seth Maxwell is the leading scorer for the Wildcats, posting an average of 18.0 PPG. He pairs that average with 6.5 RPG, second-best on the team behind Tim Adetukasi (6.7).
 
The Wildcats have three additional players averaging double-digit scoring this season. Dan Largey (16.2), Spencer Piercefield (13.8), and Adetukasi (11.5) contribute to a team that averages 83.4 points per game this season. IWU's scoring attack is the seventh-best in the NAIA.
 
On top of their high-scoring numbers, IWU also features the sixth-best rebounding margin (10.1) in the country.
 
Jessup controlled the first half of their December meeting with the Wildcats, taking a 12-point lead into the locker room. The Warriors eventually pushed their advantage to 16 with 9:35 to play before the Wildcats made a run to trim the score to single digits in the final five minutes.
 
The Warriors closed the game making 7-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final 90 seconds.
 
Piercefield led the Wildcats back in that December meeting with 24 points on a 5-for-9 showing from behind the arc. Maxwell added 18 points and was a force down low, blocking 5 shots in the ballgame.
 
"We have an idea of who they are," added Von Vogt, who has game film to draw back on in his preparations. "But they've grown a lot since then. Just as we have. It's going to be a high-level basketball game in order to earn the way to the Elite Eight."
 
Jessup is coming off a 93-89 victory over Oregon Tech on Saturday, their third victory over the Owls this season. Jessup started tournament play on Friday with a 90-78 win over Warner University (Fla.).
 
Thursday marks just the second time in program history in which Jessup has made it to the final 16 in the NAIA National Tournament. The Warriors got this far in 2016 before falling to Mid America Nazarene University. The 2020-21 season marks the third trip to Kansas City for the Jessup Men's Basketball program.
 
Indiana Wesleyan, ranked No. 7 in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll of the season, are the 2-seed in the Cramer Quadrant. The Warriors, No. 13 in the nation, drew the 3-seed. The winner of Thursday's game will advance to Saturday to take on either Arizona Christian or Bethel (Kan.).
 
A win Thursday would give the Warriors 30 wins for the first time in program history.
 
The remainder of the 2022 NAIA National Tournament will take place inside the historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. The tournament wraps up with the remaining two teams battling it out in the National Championship game on Tuesday, March 22.
 
All games in Kansas City will be streamed online on the NAIA Network. Tickets are currently on sale via Ticketmaster.
 
Jessup and Indiana Wesleyan are scheduled to take the court in the final game of Thursday's schedule. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m. (PST).
   
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).