ROCKLIN, Calif. - The Jessup University Men's Basketball team (1-2) suffered a hard-fought defeat to the CSU Monterey Bay Otters (3-0) on day two of the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic, 77-69.
Despite a strong effort and some standout individual performances, the Warriors could not overcome the Otters' hot shooting from beyond the arc.
The game remained tight throughout the first half, with the Otters taking a slim 34-30 lead into the intermission. Jessup battled to keep pace in the second half, but the visiting Otters pulled away late, fueled by a productive night at the free-throw line and a advantage from three-point range.
The Warriors were led by a fantastic performance off the bench from Varick Lewis, who provided a much-needed scoring spark with a team-high 15 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting. Lewis also added two steals to his stat line.
In the paint, senior forward Andre Norris recorded a gritty double-double, tallying 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (five offensive). Norris was perfect from the free-throw line, sinking all six of his attempts.
Guard Cayden McDaniel was the third Warrior in double-figures, scoring 14 points and knocking down six free throws of his own. Off the glass, Amarlie Wilkinson contributed a solid eight points and four rebounds.
The difference in the contest was largely determined by outside shooting. The Otters shot an impressive 41.7% (10-of-24) from deep, while the Warriors struggled to find their rhythm, connecting on just 3-of-26 (11.5%) attempts from beyond the arc.
However, the Warriors were highly effective in attacking the paint and earning trips to the foul line, finishing the night 20-of-29 (69.0%) from the stripe. Jessup also held the Otters to an even 40.0% shooting from the field.
CSU Monterey Bay's offense was paced by Jaden Tengan, who led all scorers with 23 points, including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Joey Bilello added 16 points for the Otters, knocking down three three-pointers.
Head Coach Mark Darnell said after the game, "I am very proud of the effort our guys gave tonight. I thought they played super hard and really made it difficult on Monterey Bay." "We have a short turnaround and we need to get ourselves locked in and ready for Humboldt."
The Warriors move to 1-2 on the young season and will look to bounce back as they prepare for their next contest on Saturday night as they close out the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic against Cal Poly Humboldt. Tip-off will be at 7:30pm.
