ROCKLIN, Calif. – The tension inside Warrior Arena could be cut with a knife on Friday night as an epic battle between Jessup and Montana State-Northern needed two overtimes to decide a victor. Trailing late in the second overtime period, the Warriors produced an amazing comeback to cap off the first victory of their coach's head coaching career.
The final, 83-82, notches win number one in the career of coach
Mark Darnall.
Darnall was mobbed by his team after the game as they drenched him with water bottles in the locker room. To seal the deal, he was presented with the ball from his first victory.
The Warriors found themselves trailing by six in the second overtime period after a pair of free throws from MSUN's Zackry Martinez. Martinez was lights out late in Friday's battle, scoring all 29 of his points in the second half and beyond. But with 2:44 remaining on the clock, Jessup did not quit.
The game got cut to one possession on a three-point play from
Nigel McKay, and then a
Duke Gipson layup had Jessup down one with less than a minute to go. Needing a stop, the Warriors' defense stepped up, setting up a chance at the lead with ten seconds on the clock.
Jessup put the ball in the hands of their playmaker,
Myles Corey, who drove to the basket and drew a foul to send him to the line. Corey made both, putting his team up by one. Then the defense made one final stand as Gipson denied a buzzer-beater on the opposite end, sending the Warriors into a victory sprint onto Horton Court.
"I just thought back to being in the gym by myself," said Corey. "When I'm in the gym by myself I don't miss free throws. So I treated it that way in game time. I'm on an island, and when I'm on an island I have to knock them in."
Corey shined in the win, dropping 32 points to pair with eight boards in his 46 minutes of action.
Anthony Enoh added a double-double in his second Jessup outing, scoring 14 to pair with a game-high 13 boards.
"We just leaned on each other," said Corey. "Through the mud, guys were tired, but we just leaned on each other. It helped us stay together, and when we stay together we do good things and get wins like this."
The Warriors did not play from behind for the majority of Friday's win. In fact, Jessup led by ten early in the second half, their largest lead of the night. MSUN's largest advantage came seven minutes into regulation when they led by seven.
Friday night was about more than a game, as it was also part of the 17
th annual Bill Holtz Warrior Classic. Jessup honored Holtz, who passed away after a battle with ALS, by having his family on hand for a special pregame ceremony. All ticket proceeds from Friday will be donated to ALS research.
After 50 minutes of basketball, Jessup will not get much time to rest as they are scheduled to return to action tomorrow night against Southern Oregon. SOU opened up the Bill Holtz Classic with a loss to Menlo on Friday.
Tickets for Saturday night's 7 p.m. tip are on sale
HERE.
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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).
