SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – With a logjam of teams at the top of the GSAC entering Thursday, Jessup took the court looking to make one final push for the top as the final week of the regular season got underway. A fast start put Jessup on the right foot, but a slow ending ultimately sees Jessup fall 72-65 at the hands of The Master's.
The loss, Jessup's second in a row, moves the Warriors to 7-6 in conference action.
Jessup entered the night tied with OUAZ for fourth place in the GSAC. After an OUAZ win and a Jessup loss, the Warriors now hold onto fifth place. The Warriors would take on OUAZ in the opening round of the conference tournament if things began tomorrow.
Guard
Myles Corey produced his eighth 20-point game of the season, as he dropped 21 points on 6-of-8 from the field. Corey had the long ball working early on as he knocked down three triples in the first ten minutes, but the TMU defense tightened up on the assignment, holding him without a three the rest of the way until his final basket with 0:07 showing on the game clock.
Corey has now scored 429 points this season, placing him 18 away from his career best of 447 in the 2022-23 campaign.
Jessup led by as many as 13 on Thursday night, with that advantage coming with 8:53 to go in the first half. That lead had Jessup on top 23-10, but the Mustangs countered the early run with a 26-7 run to close the first half and send Jessup into the locker room trailing 36-30.
Jessup regained the lead six minutes into the second half thanks to a dunk from
Aydan Janssan. The lead grew to six off a
Ty Artis layup, but back came the Mustangs, who retook the lead with 4:59 to go.
For the final five minutes, Jessup never led, as TMU pushed their advantage to as many as ten.
Artis added 16 points in the loss, while
Ja'Maris Blackmon was the other Jessup player to finish in double figures with his ten points.
Xavier Lovelace led Jessup in rebounding with 11, while Janssan pulled down nine boards.
The Mustangs were led by four players in double-figures.
Next up on the schedule is the finale of the regular season, as Jessup visits Life Pacific on Saturday. A win guarantees Jessup at least the fifth seed in the conference tournament, while a loss and a Menlo win will put Jessup in sixth.
Saturday's game is set 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).
