PORTLAND, Ore. – Game one of a two-game trip in Portland kicked off on Friday as the Warriors visited the Knights of Warner Pacific. With the two programs battling for the first time since 2006, Jessup made a statement on the road as they dropped their most points of the season in Friday's 21-point victory.
The Warriors eclipsed 90 points for the second time this season in the win. Jessup's previous high came in their 91-69 victory against Cal Maritime on November 8. Through seven games, Jessup is averaging 75.6 PPG.
Five Warriors ended the night in double-figures on Friday. When asked about the wide spread of scoring, Darnall noted, "I think we just came out and really focused on our defense. Getting stops early allowed us to get out in transition, and that's where we're able to play unselfish and play fast."
Leading the way offensively was the combo of
Myles Corey and
Aydan Janssan, with 18 points each. Corey did so in 30 minutes while adding a career-high nine boards to go with a trio of assists and steals. For Janssan, he pulled down ten boards as he earned his second double-double in a row.
On the rebounding performance, Darnall added, "I've been on our guys about rebounding because it's been a little bit of an issue for us. They had some second-chance points in the first half, but I think we could have eliminated those and extended our lead even further. In other games (rebounding) has been hurting us. And so, it's been a focus for us. Obviously, Aydan's responded to it, and I've really gotten on our guards."
The Warriors also got big scoring nights out of
Ja'Maris Blackmon (15),
Duke Gipson (14), and
Ty Artis (13). For Artis, Friday night was his season debut as he added three boards as well as three assists in his 22 minutes.
Jessup dominated throughout on Friday, starting with the first half as they shot 47 percent, leading to a 22-point lead entering the locker room. The Warriors would go on to shoot 54 percent from the field in the closing 20 minutes, giving them a 36-for-71 (50.7%) showing on the night.
Warner Pacific shot 40 percent from the floor and was led by Matt Solomon's 17 points.
Friday night was Jessup's first true test away from home, as their previous two road games were all within driving distance of Rocklin, meaning the Warriors returned to campus that evening. Darnall said he was impressed with how his team locked in on the road and hopes it will continue tomorrow.
"It's fun for these kids to be able to go on the road and experience different cities and play a play in different places. I think it's one of the beauties of being able to play college basketball is having those experiences. I really commend the guys for coming into shootaround today and throughout the day with film and just coming into the game and being super focused and dialed in and having a start like we did today. It's definitely a kudos for them of being locked in and ready to go."
The Warriors will be back on the court tomorrow at 3 p.m. when they take on a name that has become familiar to those around Jessup, Multnomah. It will be the third meeting between the two schools and the first since 2012.
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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 Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
