SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – With two games remaining on the schedule, Jessup embarked on a trip to Southern California, where they needed just one win to qualify for the GSAC Tournament. Opening the week at The Master's University, a slow second quarter put the Warriors in an insurmountable hole, as they fall 76-57.
The Warriors, now with one game left in the regular season, fall to 9-8 within the Golden State Athletic Conference.
Jessup leads Arizona Christian by one game for the sixth and final seed in the conference tournament. ACU did not play on Thursday, but they will be back on the court Saturday against OUAZ. An ACU win would guarantee the Firestorm the six seed as they swept Jessup in their two meetings. Jessup could still clinch with a loss should OUAZ beat ACU.
Through one-quarter of basketball, Jessup trailed the Mustangs by four points. The second quarter is what broke the game open as TMU outscored Jessup 17-10, taking an 11-point lead into the locker room. Through 20 minutes of basketball, the Warriors were shooting just 30 percent from the floor.
Jessup was not able to produce a spark out of the locker room as TMU went basket-for-basket with the Warriors in the third, ultimately outscoring the Warriors by two in the period.
Leading Jessup in scoring Thursday was
Natalie Moulos, as the sophomore scored 14 points on 5-of-13 from the floor. She also converted 4-of-8 from the three-point line.
Andrea Jovicevic and
Amari Guiton contributed eight points each for the Warriors. Joviceivic finished two points shy of a double-double as she pulled down a game-leading 11 rebounds.
Maila Lepolo dished out a game-high six assists.
The Warriors will get their final shot at the postseason on Saturday when they travel to Santa Barbara to take on Westmont College. Westmont comes into the game 22-2 overall, good enough to rank them No. 2 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll.
Saturday's season finale is scheduled for noon.
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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).
