The William Jessup University men’s basketball team clinched the 2013 California Pacific Conference regular season championship with a 62-61 comeback win over Menlo College on Thursday night.  With the win, the Warriors clinched the #1 seed in the California Pacific Conference Tournament which starts next week. It’s the Warriors first championship since the 2009-10 season when they shared the championship with California Maritime and Holy Names.

“The credit goes to this group of players who kept fighting and believing they could pull it out,” stated interim head coach Jeff Bussell.  “We knew Menlo would come out hungry and it would be a 40-minute battle.  We’ve overcome obstacles all year long and tonight was no different.  It was a great team effort and I thought Kelton Newman step up big time for us tonight when we needed it.  I am proud of the team and they deserve it for all their hard work.  It’s a blessing to coach these guys everyday and see how God is working in their lives.”

The Warriors got off to a fast start as they jumped out to an early 10-2 advantage on senior Keenan Prince’s (Marysville, CA, Yuba College) second three pointer of the game.  After a Menlo timeout, the Oaks would answer with a 10-2 run of their own to tie the game at 12-12 with 13:17 left in the first half.  Both teams traded baskets over the next seven minutes as freshman Kelton Newman (Elk Grove, CA, Franklin HS) would tie the game up at 21-21 with 6:42 left.  Junior Sterling Shells (Galt, CA, Galt HS) would add pair of free throws at the 2:59 mark to put the Warriors up 29-24.  The Warriors would take a 33-30 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Warriors would start out hot again as they jumped out to an early 40-33 advantage.  The Oaks would go on an 11-1 run to take a 44-41 lead with 14 minutes left.  Once again, the Oak and Warriors would trade baskets over the next eight minutes.  Newman would knock down a three-pointer to give the Warriors a 54-50 lead with 5:42 left in the game.  The Oaks would answer with a pair of three-pointer to take a two point lead.  Senior Jordan Wilson (Rocklin, CA, Whitney HS) would tie the game 56-56 on a pair of free throws.  The Oaks hit back to back buckets to take a 61-56 lead with 3:32 left in the game.  The Warriors would get a stop and a bucket by Prince to cut the lead to 61-58.  Prince would come up with a steal and senior Marquis Robinson (Sacramento, CA, Natomas HS) knocked down two free throws to pull the Warriors within one at 61-60 with 1:27 left.  The Warriors defense continued to hold tight, as the offense struggled to convert.  Menlo would have possession of the ball with 30 seconds left as the Warriors increased the pressure looking for a steal.  The Warriors wound up forcing a jump ball with 22 seconds left and regaining possession.  Prince was able to find a lane to the basket to put the Warriors up 62-61.  The Oaks could not convert on two opportunities with three seconds left as the Warriors pulled out the win. 

Kelton Newman led the Warriors with fourteen points.  Jordan Wilson added ten points and seven rebounds, while Keenan Prince had ten points and three assist.  ChaRunn Jones had a game-high twenty-one points to lead the Oaks. 

The Warriors improve to 8-1 in conference and 11-15 overall. They close out the regular season at UC Merced on Saturday night. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

As the #1 seed for the Cal Pac Tournament, the Warriors will have a first round bye and host a semifinal game on Friday February 22^nd on Horton Court in the Warrior Arena.  They will play the winner of the Wednesday night Cal Pac quarterfinal match-up between Menlo College and Simpson University.  With a win, the Warriors will host the 2013 California Pacific Conference Championship game on Monday, February 25^thon Horton Court in the Warrior Arena for a berth to the 2013 NAIA National Championships in Branson, MO. 

Coach Bussell looks forward to continuing the Journey with this team.

“We thank God for the opportunity he has given us to be in this position,” stated coach Bussell.  “It’s an exciting time of year and we will continue to work hard to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year.  We know it’s going to be a battle no matter who we face.  I know this group is hungry to keep playing and we look forward to giving it everything we have down the stretch to finish strong.”

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