Late rally falls short as Mustang women lose to Providence

Some nights the shots just don't fall.
 
They're there, they just don't find the net.
 
That's what happened Thursday afternoon in Great Falls, Montana, where The Master's University women's basketball team fell to the University of Providence 62-59.
 
"It's a tough loss against a good team," said Mustang head coach Dan Waldeck.  "To even be in the game when we shoot 29% speaks volumes about the resiliency of this year's team."
 
Resiliency kept the Mustangs in the game and helped them rally to lead late before falling short.
 
The loss to the No. 18 Argos dropped the Mustangs to 1-1.
 
TMU spotted the hosts the first four points of the contest and then used a 10-2 spurt to go in front 14-10 with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
 
Freshman Stephanie Soares initiated the run with a bucket, Rebekah Throns drained consecutive three-pointers, and Tristen Coltom capped it with a basket.
 
The Mustangs led 19-17 after one.
 
The Argos, who shot a solid 55.6% (15-27) in the first half, put that accuracy to work in the second quarter, erasing the deficit to take a 36-33 lead at the break.
 
Meanwhile, the Mustangs connected on just 32.4% of their attempts in the opening half.
 
That became critical in the third stanza when the Argos used a 10-4 burst to extend the margin to as many as 11 points (54-43).
 
Two free throws by junior Brooke Bailey that made it a 54-45 game after three quarters seemed like a drop in the bucket.
 
However, the charity tosses were just the beginning of a 13-0 run that turned the game around and gave the Mustangs a shot at victory.
 
"I really like the comeback from the end of the third through the fourth," said Waldeck.  "We played with great purpose and urgency defensively."
 
Bailey capped the skein with two more free throws that gave the Mustangs a 56-54 lead with 5:31 left to play.
 
Just over two minutes later (3:14 remaining), Rebekah Throns canned another free throw and the Mustangs had a 59-56 edge.
 
Unfortunately, they would not score again.
 
The Argos would and did, ending the game on a 6-0 run.
 
A last-second, three-point shot failed for the Mustangs.
 
Junior Hannah Forrar paced the Mustangs with 12 points while sophomore Rebekah Throns added nine more.
 
Stephanie Soares tossed in eight points, tore down a team-high 10 rebounds, and blocked eight shots.
 
"This is undoubtedly the toughest season-starting road trip we've ever had," stated Waldeck.  "I'm moving on to tomorrow when we'll play an excellent Carroll team."
 
That would be a No. 7 Carroll team the 14th-ranked Mustangs will face on Friday before returning home.