SURPRISE, Ariz. – The OUAZ men's basketball team gave No. 24 William Jessup all it could handle before falling 98-95 on Saturday afternoon at Willow Canyon High School.
 
Looking to snap a three-game losing streak, OUAZ (3-14, 1-7 GSAC) rallied from 14 down in the second half to have the game's final possession down three. That play saw Brian King Jr.'s desperation heave come short and allow William Jessup (14-6, 5-3) to avoid the upset.
 
Trailing 79-65 with 9:33 remaining, the Spirit put together a 23-10 run to get within 89-88 with 2:27 to play. Jessup would extend the lead back out to seven before the Spirit again chipped away. King hit a three with 6.7 second to play to make it 96-95, but Tate DeLaVega converted a pair of free throws to force OUAZ into a desperation attempt at the buzzer.
 
OUAZ's 95 points are a season high and come on a day they shot 48.6 percent from the field with eight made 3-pointers. They totaled 20 assists against 12 turnovers with 40 points in the paint and 23 fast break points.
 
King ended the game with 35 points for his third 30-point outing of the season and two points shy of his season high. He made 14 of 26 shots with three makes from beyond the arc while leading the Spirit with nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
Tanner Riley and Dimetres Moore added 16 points apiece for the Spirit with Marcus Williams adding 10 points and seven assists.
 
Jessup shot 44.6 percent and finished 12 of 29 from beyond the arc. Darrell Polee led five Warriors in double figures with 25 points.
 
OUAZ now heads back to California to play a pair of conference games next week. They begin the trip on Thursday in Santa Barbara against Westmont.