ROCKLIN, Calif. – Jessup Women's Basketball (5-13, 3-9 PacWest) team faced a tough PacWest challenge on Saturday afternoon as the team fell to the Dominican Penguins (14-3, 8-3 PacWest), 50-69.
Looking to capitalize on the energy of their home floor at Warrior Arena, the Warriors welcomed the Penguins after their exhilarating victory over Menlo Thursday night. Despite a competitive opening half and several standout individual performances, the Warriors were unable to withstand a clinical second-half offense from Dominican University.
The Penguins established control from the opening tip, jumping out to a 22-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. Jessup struggled to find their offensive rhythm early against Dominican's length, and while the Warriors' defense tightened up in the second frame to hold the Penguins to just 12 points, Jessup went into the halftime break trailing 34-20.
Jessup found its spark in the third quarter. Led by a dominant performance from Aniah Cross, the Warriors began to chip away at the deficit. Jessup outpaced Dominican 21-20 in the period, utilizing aggressive drives to the rim and a perfect 3-for-3 night from beyond the arc by Cross to bring the Warrior Arena crowd to its feet. However, the momentum stalled in the final period. Dominican regained their defensive form, holding Jessup to just nine points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Aniah Cross was the standout for the Warriors, recording a double-double with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. Hailey Hoff and Raylyn Fergerson each added 7 points, while Porter Wood anchored the interior with 7 rebounds and 6 points. Andheya Aurelio contributed 4 points and a team-high 3 assists in the effort. Dominican was led by Keyonee Neal, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Warriors will look to regroup as they prepare for their upcoming road trip, seeking to translate their third-quarter energy into a full 40-minute performance. Jessup will hit the road to Irvine, CA to take on the Concordia Golden Eagles on Thursday, January 29th with tip-off scheduled for 5:00 PM.
