ARCATA, Calif. – The Jessup University men's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season in strong fashion, topping Cal Poly Humboldt 85-73 on Monday night at Lumberjack Arena behind a balanced effort that saw five Warriors reach double figures, led by
Tom Parsons' 19 points.
"It was a great road win against a tough CCAA opponent," said Jessup head coach
Mark Darnall. "Humboldt was picked second in that league, and they're really good, so I'm really proud of our overall effort. We've been harping on discipline, and to see us take a step in that arena with how we defended tonight, I thought it was really good."
The Warriors had to work for it early. Humboldt jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first half, and the game was tied at 24 midway through the period. From there, Jessup took control, closing the half on a 14-0 run highlighted by big baskets from Parsons,
Wyatt Studer,
Amarlie Wilkinson and
Cayden McDaniel, and carried a 43-29 lead into the locker room. Jessup shot 17-of-31 (54.8 percent) in the first half, including 6-of-15 from three-point range, and outscored the Lumberjacks 20-10 in the paint.
Curro Segura provided a spark off the bench with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and Parsons added nine.
Jessup stretched the lead to 16 early in the second half and never let Humboldt get closer than seven the rest of the way, leading for 29:15 of the 40 minutes. Whenever the Lumberjacks made a push, the Warriors had an answer, with
Aleksandar Mitrovic knocking down three three-pointers for 12 second-half points and McDaniel and Parsons each adding 10. Jessup shot 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) after the break, including 5-of-10 from three.
Parsons also pulled down eight rebounds, Mitrovic finished with 17 points, and McDaniel added 17 points and seven assists. Segura ended with 13 points off the bench, and Studer chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds.
"We had a great spread offensively, five guys in double figures and a really good shot spread," Darnall said. "It shows the unselfishness of this group and the different weapons that we have. Everybody found a way to contribute."
For the game, Jessup shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58), made 11 of 25 three-pointers (44.0 percent) and went 12-of-17 at the free-throw line, while winning the paint battle 38-30 and the rebounding battle 34-28.
"On the glass tonight, we out-rebounded them, and we also scored more points in the paint, which is a game goal of ours," Darnall said. "An 88 percent defensive rebound percentage against a big, athletic team was good."
Meanwhile smoeong to work on; the Warriors will look to clean up their turnovers as they head back home.
Jessup returns home for the Crossover Challenge at Warrior Arena, hosting Stanislaus State on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. and CSU East Bay on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.
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About Jessup University Athletics Jessup University is a 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).
