No. 3 Mustangs roll past Hope International for 16th straight win

Dan Waldeck saw first-hand evidence Saturday evening that his team continues to meet the challenge of having a championship-level focus every day.
 
It was evident at both ends of the court as The Master's University women's basketball team rolled past visiting Hope International 97-51 for its 20th straight home win. 

The Mustangs are 16-0 overall, needing one win to match their best start since at least 2002-2003. 
 
"I thought from start to finish we were locked in on both sides of the ball," said Waldeck, the club's 12th-year head coach. "We continue to improve and that's exciting, but we also have a lot of details that we can continue to clean up and sharpen."
 
Off to their best start since the 2012-13 campaign when they won their first 17 games, the No. 3 Mustangs also improved to 4-0 in GSAC play, sharing first place with fourth-ranked Westmont.
 
Sabrina Thompson led Master's with a season-high 17 points, Stephanie Soares added 15 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks, and Tristen Coltom contributed 15 points, making 4-of-6 from long distance. 

Brooke Bailey was the other Mustang to score in double figures, making three 3-pointers and totaling 12 points. 

🎥 from @mastersuniv WBB's win over Hope International tonight.#GoMustangs pic.twitter.com/vwNl0ghXf8

— Master's Athletics (@TMUAthletics) January 5, 2020

The Mustangs put the game away over the final 3:56 of the first quarter, turning a tight game into a runaway with a 15-3 burst to take a 26-13 lead at the end of the opening period. 
 
Soares, who scored 11 points in the quarter, sparked the run with a layup and junior Rebekah Throns capped it in similar fashion with one second left on the clock.
  
The nation's fourth-stingiest defense (52.3ppg) took over in the second quarter as the Mustangs limited Hope International to seven points on 2-of-15 shooting from the field.
 
At the other end, Thompson scored 10 points and Coltom drained two 3-pointers to lead the club to a 49-20 halftime advantage.
 
Coltom added two more treys in the second half to equal a season-high four from behind the arc while Bailey's three 3-pointers gave her a club-high 37 for the year.
 
Coltom and Bailey led a 51-point performance from the bench.
 
Throns dished out a game-high six assists as the club had 22 assists on its 29 baskets.
 
The Mustangs dominated the boards 54-34 with the Soares' sisters (Stephanie and Jessica) pulling down nine rebounds each. And Madi Hull added nine points and Hannah Ostrom had seven. 
  
After a perfect homestand (6-0), the Mustangs take their game on the road for their next three outings, starting with Thursday's 5:30 p.m. start at William Jessup.  The Warriors trail the Mustangs and Westmont by half a game in the conference standings.
 
"The GSAC is so tough every night, so we move on to the next game and focus on improving in practice on Monday," Waldeck said.