No. 2 Master's takes care of the Hawks ahead of Westmont rematch

The schedule said The Master's University women's basketball team was on the cusp of a crucial rematch with Westmont College.

Thursday's dominant effort said the Mustangs were completely focused on San Diego Christian.

Master's beat the Hawks 94-40 in a neutral game at Vanguard on Thursday, improving to 26-1 overall and 14-1 in Golden State Athletic Conference play.

If No. 4 Westmont beats No. 6 Vanguard on Saturday, it too would head into the Feb. 22 game at Master's with a 14-1 GSAC record. The stakes will be high, regardless.

Master's, however, wasn't ready to talk about such a possibility until after it outscored San Diego Christian 25-6 in Thursday's second quarter and until after five Mustangs had scored in double figures.

"We obviously know what's to come," said forward Anika Neuman, who recorded 12 points. "But we knew we had to take care of this one tonight first. We have the whole week to get ready for Westmont, and now we can focus on that."

Mustang Stephanie Soares scored 18 points to lead a balanced attack. Hannah Ostrom, Brooke Bailey, Neuman and Olivia Prettyman joined her in double-figure scoring on a night when the Mustangs took firm control after the first quarter.

TMU led 15-11 after 10 minutes, but for the second straight game, Master's produced a dominant second quarter.

The Mustangs shot 60% from the floor and Rebekah Throns made a pair of three-pointers en route to building a 40-17 lead at the break.

Master's coach Dan Waldeck wanted his team to return to its elite defensive form Thursday after allowing Hope International to score 63 points in a TMU win Tuesday. And after a slow start, Waldeck's squad answered the call.

"We had a sluggish first quarter," Waldeck said, "but after that, I'm super proud of our focus and execution. Every player competed with a relentless mindset."

Master's held the Hawks (5-20, 0-13 GSAC) to three field goals in the second quarter and ultimately 32% shooting for the game.

Ostrom went 6-for-9 from the floor on the way to 15 points, and Bailey followed with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

Prettyman added 10 points in just 11 minutes off the bench, and Caitlin Monten had nine points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes.  

The Mustangs know what kind of challenge they'll face on Feb. 22 when Westmont comes to town for the teams' second meeting this season. In January, Master's beat the Warriors in Santa Barbara for the first time since 2014 – this time by a 64-55 score.

"It will be another good test for us as we start heading into the last three games of the regular season," Soares said. "They are a very good team, and it's going to be a good game."