Hawks’ grasp of first ends for now

ROCKLIN – The first-place stay by the San Diego Christian College women’s basketball team only lasted five days. But they didn’t give it up without a fight.

The Hawks were in a coin-flip game with host William Jessup University, down only 41-37 through three periods in a defensive battle. However, the Warriors utilized an 11-4 margin in the final quarter to take a 52-41 decision in Golden State Athletic Conference action Thursday’s (Feb.11) at Warrior Arena. BOXSCORE

William Jessup (9-8 overall, 5-2 GSAC) took a half-game lead over The Master’s  (6-4, 4-2) in the GSAC East Division standings. San Diego Christian (6-4, 3-2) slipped into third place, but all three ballclubs are even in the loss column.

The fourth quarter proved forgettable for SDCC. They failed to hit a field goal attempt to equal an unsightly school record, then made just 4-of-8 foul shots to account for all of its lone points.

The Warriors did a little better at 4-for-15 from the field, but it proved to be enough.

Junior guard Keren Hogue paced San Diego  Christian with 17 points, going 6-for-12 from the floor. However, the balance of the Hawks roster was just 9-for-35 (25.7 percent),

Hogue, a product of Imperial Valley College, also paced the defense with 7 steals, while sharing rebounding honors with teammate Courtney Cranston with 7 boards.

For the Warriors, the lone player to score in double-figures was Bobbie Purify (12 points), as the club went just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, and an equally poor 9-of-23 (39.1 percent) from the foul line.

The teams meet again on Saturday at 11 a.m., capping a home-and-home series at the Kroc Center on University Avenue.