ROCKLIN, Calif. – Still very much alive in the hunt for the GSAC Tournament, Jessup welcomed Arizona Christian to Horton Court for a key conference matchup. With every outcome magnified this late in the season, Jessup could not hold on in the fourth quarter as they fell 57-51.
Head coach
Corey Laster, disappointed with the outcome, said after the game, "I just thought our effort, even though you look at the score, I thought our effort on the offensive end was pretty poor. I didn't like our shot selection, and I thought we buried ourselves in our defense in the first quarter."
The Warriors managed to shoot just 28.6 percent from the floor Thursday. Their shooting from three was also an issue, as Jessup shot just 21.7 percent behind the arc.
With the loss, Jessup falls to 8-7 in conference action. They hold half a game lead on ACU for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament.
On his team needing to respond and bounce back, Laster added, "We have no choice. I mean, the situation that we put ourselves in dictates what we have to do."
It was a close contest throughout Thursday, with Jessup taking a one-point lead into the second quarter. ACU responded by outscoring the Warriors by eight in the second, giving them a seven-point lead heading into the break.
Jessup saw their best basketball come in the third as they held ACU to just nine points, scoring 15 to close within one. But they could not sustain their play in the fourth, shooting 13 percent from the floor as ACU held Jessup to just seven points.
"We had some key moments in the fourth quarter where we had some breakdowns on the ball screens that we didn't have in different parts of the game," added Laster. "I thought that was a big difference in the game."
Kayla Vieira led the Warriors, scoring 17 points to pair with nine boards.
Andrea Jovicevic dropped 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
Makaila Glynn led the Warriors in rebounding with ten.
The Warriors will have to forget about this one, fast, as they host OUAZ on Saturday for Senior Day. Jessup will be honoring just one senior this year,
Jennifer Pedretti.
Tip-off for Saturday's contest is slated 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).
