ROCKLIN, Calif. – Jessup University Men's Basketball (6-6, 3-3 PacWest) got back in the win column with an impressive victory over the University of Hawaii-Pacific (6-4, 2-3 PacWest) at home Monday night, 86-70.
After a heartbreaking loss to Hilo on Saturday, Jessup hosted Hawaii Pacific at Horton Court on Monday and shot 46% from the field and grabbed 44 rebounds en route to an 16-point win, their first at home in PacWest Conference play.
"We got crushed on the glass on Saturday and that was a huge emphasis for us," Warriors coach Mark Darnall said. "I think Saturday we were thinking about the opponent and we were making individual battles and tonight we made it about us. This group stuck together tonight, our huddles were tied with a lot of different cultural things we talked about and I really think that translated on the floor."
The Warriors shot 39% from deep with four triples coming from senior guard Andre Norris as he finished with a season-high 27 points. Norris also grabbed eight boards and added five assists and three steals.
"I'm a big believer that if you respect the game it will respect you back because of how hard that dude comes and brings it everyday," Darnall said. "When you're about the right things, you guard, rebound, and his role hasn't been having to score. Tonight it just happened to be and he understands that, but I'm proud to see him step up in the moment and have some success."
Norris wasn't the only guard to play well tonight as all four guards in the starting lineup combined for 64 points and were the top four scorers. Cayden McDaniel finished with 16 while Varick Lewis had 13. Amarlie Wilkinson totaled eight points and blocked two shots.
"They just played unselfish and they all guarded," Darnall said. "Amarlie finally got back to what we needed from him, picking up full court and making one of their leading scorers struggle. I thought they really brought it tonight and made it hard for them on the offensive end with our defense."
The visiting Sharks ate away at the Warriors lead in the second half, cutting a 23-point lead down to eight while getting multiple Jessup players in foul trouble. The Warriors shut down any chance at a comeback with key minutes from Tom Parsons and Wyatt Studer off the bench. Parsons had six points and nine boards in 20 minutes while Studer finished with four points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
Jessup will now travel to San Diego to face Point Loma on Thursday, a team they lost to 87-89 on a buzzer beater at home back on Dec. 4.
"Both teams are going to be fired up," Darnall said. "It's gonna be a physical and tough battle. Both teams are equally amped and ready to go for sure, but hopefully we carry some of this momentum on the road."
The Warriors next game will be on Thursday, January 8th at Point Loma Nazarene. Tip-off will be at 4 PM.
Tickets for all upcoming home games are available at jessupathletics.com/tickets.
