ROCKLIN, Calif. -- It is a new era for Simpson Men's Basketball. For the first time since January 2014 the Red Hawks defeated rival William Jessup on the road by a final of 81-79.

Simpson finished with four players in double figures: Blake Trent continued his hot shooting with 18 points on 6 of 13 shooting while Jon Manjon added 15, Aaron Berry scored 13, and Jalen Cooper finished with 11. 

The two teams battled back and forth for most of the game with Jessup holding the largest lead of the night at 12. The game came down to the final 27 seconds with the Red Hawks down by one. A pair of steals by JT Branch, and an offensive rebound by Kenneth Modica Jr., as well as a go-ahead layup by Cooper gave the Red Hawks a late lead that was eventually sealed by a forced turnover.

Head Coach Todd Franklin had this to say after the victory, "This win is a big one for us in terms of being able to play and compete against a school of William Jessup's class and basketball reputation. The great thing about the pack line defense is that on bad shooting nights and nights when you have too many turnovers you still give yourself a chance to be in the game. Tiyon (Martin) didn't have a great first half, but even as a freshman, he was mature enough to come in at halftime, take a little heat, and go out and play, committing only one second-half turnover."

Simpson begins the season 2-0 for the first time in over 15 years after the victory.

The Red Hawks face off against former Cal Pac opponent, Menlo College in their second game of the 12th Annual Bill Holtz Warrior Classic on Saturday, November 3rd at 1 pm.