The Mustangs knew based on their previous encounter with Menlo that the Oaks would not go down quietly.
But once again, The Master's University women's basketball team doubled down on defense and mustered enough offense to eventually overwhelm the Oaks, this time 72-55.
Stephanie Soares scored a game-high 23 points and was complemented by
Hannah Ostrom (18 points) and
Anika Neuman (15 points, 13 rebounds).
"I loved our grit," said TMU head coach
Dan Waldeck. "Menlo played really well. They're always super physical, and it was great to see our team just continuing to play the next possession."
Menlo, which held TMU to 16 points in the first half of the teams' first meeting last month, didn't back down from the Mustangs early, taking a 7-2 lead. Ostrom scored all six of her first-quarter points in succession, sparking a 12-4 run that put the Mustangs up 14-11 after one quarter.
Ostrom's 18 points came on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. She was 4-for-4 from the line.
Neuman's three-pointer with 7:20 left in the second quarter snapped an 18-all tie and the Mustangs (23-1, 11-1 GSAC) led the rest of the way.
Neuman, who scored nine points in the second stanza, equaled a career-high with 13 rebounds en route to her first double-double of the season.
The Mustangs led 32-25 at halftime.
Soares went to work in the third quarter, tallying 10 of her game-high point total as the Mustangs fended off an Oaks' squad that got within four points twice in the period.
TMU led 51-41 after three.
Soares also collected 11 rebounds and posted her nation-leading 18th double-double of the campaign.
With Neuman and Soares in double figures on the glass, the Mustangs out-rebounded Menlo 48-36.
The Mustangs led by as many as 20 points twice in the fourth quarter before closing out the win.
On a night when Westmont also won, the Mustangs stayed tied for first place in the GSAC with the Warriors.
The Mustangs host William Jessup in a noon matinee Saturday.
"We got a lot of production from multiple people, which bodes well for our improvement," said Waldeck.
