MERCED, Calif. – Back in California are the Warriors after a two-game trip in Portland over the weekend. Looking to continue their winning ways against members of the Cal Pac, Jessup visited UC Merced on Tuesday night for a game that saw a streak of 15 reach its end.
The Warriors entered Tuesday riding a win-streak of 15 games against schools from their former conference, the Cal Pac. With a Cal Pac win already this season against Simpson and another Cal Pac school on the schedule Saturday night, Jessup could not keep the streak alive as they fell 68-62.
Jessup, who have now lost two games in a row for the first time this season, drop to 5-4 under coach
Mark Darnall.
Darnall made some changes to the lineup on Tuesday as he went to
Ty Artis and
Duke Gipson as starters for the first time this year. For Artis, Tuesday was just his third game of the season as he made his 2023 debut on Friday night against Warner Pacific.
The rust has seemingly been wiped away after missing the first six contests, as Artis was red-hot in the first half from beyond the arc. Artis ended the night scoring a team-high 17 points on 3-of-6 from downtown.
"Ty had a great game," said Darnall. "He provided us a spark with his offense, and we needed that. It's just great to see him get it going offensively."
Myles Corey added 16 points as he inches seven points away from matching the career totals of his backcourt mate
Cashemin Williams for second in program history.
The Warriors took a nine-point lead into the locker room, as a 33-26 advantage was built off a 41 percent shooting performance by the Warriors. Jessup knocked down six triples in the opening half, and they played disciplined defense as the Bobcats went to the free throw line just one time.
Tuesday's second half was a different story, as Jessup was outscored by 13, leading to the 68-62 loss.
When asked what changed in the second half, Darnall said, "They switched up their defense a little bit. They changed their ball screen coverage, and they played a little more aggressive."
Darnall also added, "What really hurt us in the second half was the paint. We just got killed inside from two. That's an area that we've been good at, and so to see us struggle there was frustrating. Hopefully, we can get that tightened up."
Merced saw 54 of their 68 points come from field goal attempts inside the arc, with 36 points coming inside the paint area.
It's been a busy month for the Warriors, as they have played nine times in November. Still, one game remains on Saturday against Pacific Union, but Darnall did say he hopes his team can find time to rest coming up.
"We have one more on Saturday that we need to get prepared for. But after that, we will start to have a lot more gaps and be able to start practicing again. Hopefully, we can build from that. It's going to be much needed. I'm proud of the guys for battling through this stretch. I just wish we could have come out on the winning side in one or two more."
Saturday's matchup with the Pacific Union Pioneers is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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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).
