THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. — One storyline entering the season was whether the Mustangs could seamlessly integrate a towering post presence onto a team of veteran guards keen on pushing the pace and firing from three.
The key, said coach Dan Waldeck, would be to play fast but not so fast as to forget about 6-foot-6 freshman Stephanie Soares — or the other members of a talented front court for that matter.
So far, the Mustangs have done just fine.
Soares and forward Anika Neuman combined for 40 points Monday at California Lutheran, and Mustang guards got plenty of buckets in transition and from deep in a 108-68 win, TMU's third straight.
The night marked the first time the Mustangs (4-1) had hit the century mark in consecutive games since 2007-08.
"We hit shots. We moved the ball. And we turned turnovers into points," said coach Dan Waldeck.
Soares led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. She added 12 rebounds and five blocks as she continued to overwhelm TMU's opponents with size, skill and athleticism.
Through five games, Soares is averaging 16.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks. But her arrival this season brought with it an added bonus. It freed Neuman of her duties as the team's anchor in the paint, a role she played admirably as a freshman last year.
But Neuman's skill set — one that features back-to-the-basket moves, an outside shot and an above average handle — made her a better fit as a stretch-four, the job she's taken up next to Soares.
Monday, Neuman made all six of her shots, three from behind the arc, and finished with 19 points.
"When we need her to be strong underneath, she does that," guard Hannah Forrar said of Neuman. "But she can hit those outside shots as well as any of us guards. I haven't talked to her about it, but I think it must be exciting for her, because it's fun to get out on the three-point line and get up a few of those shots."
Forrar had all the fun early.
The returning NAIA All-American scored or assisted on 16 of TMU's first 23 points in a dominant first quarter.
She knifed through Cal Lutheran's two-three zone for TMU's first two points on a point-blank layup. Then she swung the ball to Brooke Bailey for an open 3-pointer.
Then Forrar stepped into a triple of her own.
The Mustangs moved the ball decisively and selflessly, often with skip passes, leading to a number of wide open shots and a 34-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. TMU led 62-29 at the half.
Forrar finished with 12 points and five assists. She made 4-of-5 shots.
Senior Jamilee Iddings scored 17 points in her second straight impressive showing from behind the three-point line. Iddings made three of her six long-range attempts, two days after she made 5-of-6 in a 107-45 win over Westcliff at TMU.
Iddings acknowledged afterward that her junior season hadn't been her best from a shooting perspective but that when she connected on a three against No. 7 Carroll College two weeks ago, she felt a surge of confidence.
"It reminded me that I can shoot, I'm fine," said Iddings, later adding that since Carrol she's been "letting it fly. Fearless. Nothing to lose."
Master's played with a similar mindset Monday.
The Mustangs made 15-of-33 three-point attempts and shot better than 57 percent from the floor.
Tristen Coltom hit three of six 3-pointers and finished with 13 points. Brooke Bailey, who hit two early threes to spark the first quarter surge, finished with 11 points.
Forward Rebekah Throns contributed eight points and six assists for a team that obviously has a lot of options.
"For us, it's a lot of balancing," Forrar said, "because more than half our team can shoot outside. We have great people on the inside too. So it's a matter of balancing that, knowing when to push the ball and when to be in the half court."
