SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – With a chance to earn the two-seed and a first-round bye in next week's GSAC Tournament still in play, Jessup squared off with the team directly ahead of them in the standings Thursday, The Master's University. On a night where the Warriors put all they had into a comeback bid, a tying attempt was blocked, giving TMU the 67-65 victory.
Down two with five seconds to go, Jessup drew up a play for
Myles Corey in the paint as they needed to score to force overtime. Corey collected the ball and went up for the equalizer, but he was denied by TMU's Kaleb Lowry.
"We had an opportunity at the end to either send it to overtime or win the game, and that's the place that you want to be on the road against one of the top teams in the country," said head coach
Lance Von Vogt after the game."
The result moves Jessup to 10-7 in conference play, but more importantly, it guarantees Jessup will not receive a first-round bye in the GSAC Tournament.
Now knowing the two-seed is not an option, Von Vogt added that the mindset does not change. "I don't think there was any pressure on this game, and I don't think it's on for the next game. You know, we want to win Saturday just as bad as we wanted to win today."
Jessup needed to play catch-up throughout Thursday's affair. The Warriors found themselves trailing by 15 in the first half as they went six minutes without putting a point on the board. That stretch saw TMU go on a 10-0 run, ending when
Cashemin Williams sank a triple with 7:13 remaining in the first half.
Back came Jessup, drawing within four on
Jayden DeJoseph's three, but they could never scratch within one possession as the Mustangs entered halftime leading by seven.
Again, the Warriors cut within four early in the second half on another DeJoseph three, but with a chance to draw within one score, the Warriors could not capitalize as TMU pulled their lead back up to double-digits.
The final charge came with two minutes to go. Jessup cut the deficit to five, and thanks to a 4-for-4 stretch at the line from Corey and
Ty Artis, Jessup was down just one with 1:01 to go. Ultimately, it ended with a block, but the Warriors would not quit.
On the game overall, Von Vogt added, "I thought that across the 40 minutes, you know, it was an evenly matched contest with two really good teams. Masters jumped out quickly. They were playing well. They were at home with a lot of energy. The number two seed in the conference tournament was on the line, and we just didn't do a great job defensively out of the gates."
Leading the Warriors with 24 points was Williams, connecting on 10-of-17 from the floor. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists.
Others in the scoring column Thursday were Corey (20), Artis (15), and DeJoseph (6). The Warriors ended the day with only four players finding the bottom of the basket.
"Every game has a life of its own, and we normally have a pretty balanced scoring sheet," added Von Vogt. "Today, it was like an old-school Big East basketball game. It was more of a slugfest."
Now Jessup shifts their focus to the regular season finale, as Jessup will be in Santa Barbara on Saturday to take on Westmont. Westmont beat Menlo earlier Thursday, clinching Westmont the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 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).
