ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Warriors will be celebrating this Saturday night, thanks to a last-second shot from
Ja'Maris Blackmon to down UC Merced. Trailing by one with less than five seconds on the clock, the Warriors pulled off the miracle, as the weekend ended with a 64-63 victory.
With 4.8 seconds remaining on the clock, Merced went to the line for a one-and-one situation. The first clanked off the right iron, setting up a rebound for
Aydan Janssan near the sideline. Janssan found Blackmon, who then pushed the ball up the court to the free throw line where he lobbed up a floater that hit the twine as the clock struck triple zeroes.
"We were expecting to make it," said Blackmon on the buzzer-beater. "Coach set up the play for me to swoop through in transition. (Aydan) got the rebound. He got it to me, and then I got to a good spot and made a good shot."
Blackmon also added that the game-winning basket was a play that the Warriors had worked on in practice. "That was one of the many plays coach has introduced to us throughout the year. We've worked on it throughout practice, and we got to put it in today."
The buzzer-beater ends an action-packed weekend for the Warriors that began with an overtime winner against Simpson on Friday night.
Blackmon's final two points were his biggest of the night, as he finished the game with 15 on 7-of-14 from the floor.
Wyatt Studer also dropped 15 for the Warriors, adding six boards and a trio of blocks to his stat line.
Anthony Enoh was the third Jessup player in double-figures, finishing with 13.
The final minute of regulation was thrilling, filled with lead changes outside of the Blackmon buzzer beater. Trailing by one with 55 seconds remaining,
Cayden McDaniel connected on a layup to put the Warriors up by one. Merced then stole the lead back with a jumper on their next possession. Jessup had an opportunity to take the lead in the closing stretches, but Blackmon could not convert on the contested layup, forcing Jessup to foul.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Jessup moves to 3-0 on the season, with all three wins coming on their home floor. The fan energy on Saturday night aided the home-court advantage, something Blackmon hopes to see in future games.
"We protect the home court. We've had some thrillers here in Warrior Arena, so the fans need to come on out," added Blackmon.
Now the Warriors must see how they fair away from Rocklin, as next weekend, they will be in Idaho for two games. The trip begins with a meeting with Central Washington on Friday and ends with a matchup with Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
Jessup will be back home on December 2 for the first of four home games in the final month of 2024.
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Jessup University is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. 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 (Instagram & X).
