Seven years year ago, The Master's University women's basketball team won 17 consecutive games to start the season, setting a program record.
Thanks to big nights from
Stephanie Soares,
Brooke Bailey and
Anika Neuman, the No. 3-ranked Mustangs equaled that mark with a 70-55 victory over William Jessup on Thursday night in Rocklin, California. Not that the achievement was a topic of discussion in the locker room afterward.
"We really don't talk about winning streaks or records, but this team has done a great job to compete each time out," said TMU head coach
Dan Waldeck.
Soares finished with a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the year, the most in NAIA Division 1. Bailey made four three-pointers on the way to 18 points, and Neuman added 10 points.
As significant as the record-equaling win was, more importantly, it kept the Mustangs tied atop the GSAC standings with No. 4 Westmont at 5-0.
"We are just playing together and always have each other's back," Soares said. "I think we are really playing like how (Duke men's basketball coach) Mike Krzyzewski asks his teams to play: A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist."
The Mustangs were very efficient in this one, converting 47.5% of their shots from the field despite going only 7-23 from behind the arc.
Leading the way was Soares, who went 11-of-18 from the field. She tallied 11 points in the first quarter as the Mustangs, converting a sparkling 62.5% of its shots from the field, forged a 23-10 lead after one.
The Mustangs cooled off in the second quarter but still led at halftime 38-28.
Bailey found the range from behind the arc twice in the third period, and Soares scored the team's first nine points of the quarter to help forge a 58-42 advantage going into the final period.
Bailey went 4-of-7 from long distance. She has a club-leading 41 treys.
The Warriors never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way and when senior guard
Sabrina Thompson hit a jumper with 7:05 left to play, the Mustangs had their largest lead of the evening, 63-44.
The Mustangs aim to establish a new record on Saturday when they look to improve to 18-0 against No. 22 Menlo in a 12:30 p.m. start. But even then Master's wouldn't own the program's longest winning streak. The 2000-01 team won 24 games in a row.
"Thankful for an unblemished record thus far but we're focused on our next game where we hope to execute with efficiency," said Waldeck.
