TMU's Hannah Ostrom spun into the paint for a layup. Then she buried a three-pointer from the corner.
Stephanie Soares blocked a Westmont jump shot. Then she sprinted the floor and finished at the rim ahead of the defense.
The Mustangs scored the first nine points of the Golden State Athletic Conference championship game Saturday, holding Westmont without a point for more than three minutes and looking more than capable of capturing their first GSAC tournament title since 2015.
But every time No. 4 Master's appeared to take control of the teams' third meeting of the season, the No. 3-ranked Warriors answered.
Westmont closed the first half with eight straight points to lead at the break. And after Master's jumped ahead by five midway through the fourth quarter, Westmont unleashed a punishing 14-0 run to secure a 76-67 win inside Murchison Gym.
Soares finished with a career-high 35 points and 22 rebounds. She made her first 11 shots and went 4-of-5 on three-pointers, the last coming with 6:58 remaining in the fourth. It spotted the Mustangs (29-3) a five-point lead.
But over the next five minutes and two seconds of game time, Westmont held the Mustangs without a point and capitalized on missed defensive assignments. Maud Ranger made two three-pointers, the second putting Westmont ahead 69-60 with 1:56 to play.
"Credit to them," said Master's head coach Dan Waldeck. "Their guards played great and they made key shots down the stretch. That 14-nothing run proved insurmountable."
After Westmont led 32-31 at the break, senior point guard Sabrina Thompson helped Master's regain the lead in the third.
Thompson scored nine points in the period. On one occasion, she caught a pass from Anika Neuman and laid it in as she got knocked to the floor. She made the free throw to help Master's lead 52-49 after three quarters.
Thompson also recorded eight assists, giving her 382 for her career and moving her ahead of Kelly DeVries for sixth on TMU's all-time list.
"She brought leadership and toughness, she's been here before," Waldeck said of Thompson. "She always gives her whole self."
But Thompson's grit wasn't enough to overcome Westmont's decisive 14-0 run that was powered by nine points from Ranger. A pair of untimely turnovers also proved costly, dropping the Mustangs to their second straight loss in a GSAC final — both to Westmont.
Soares did everything in her power to reverse the outcome.
The sophomore made 16 of 19 shots, scoring in a variety of ways and displaying an admirable amount of toughness.
"She was amazing," Waldeck said. "She's the best player in the country."
Said Thompson, "I told her after one of her many points, I said, 'beast mode,' because that's what she was. She was a beast."
The NAIA will release its Division 1 bracket Wednesday, with Master's positioned to receive a high seed. Soares believes Saturday's result will propel Master's to another deep run. The Mustangs reached the quarterfinals for the second time in school history last season.
"We need to be ready on Tuesday to start practice again and get ready for nationals," Soares said.
Soares and Ostrom combined for all 18 of TMU's points in the first quarter. Soares scored 13 on 6-of-6 shooting with a three-pointer. The Mustangs held Westmont without a point for the first 3 minutes, 26 seconds of the game, and led 18-13 after one.
The biggest issue hampering TMU's bid to build a commanding lead was turnovers.
Master's turned the ball over 18 times in all, which turned into 26 Westmont points. Another telling category came at the free throw line where the Warriors were 15-of-19 and Master's was just 3-of-6.
Westmont became just the second team this season to shoot better than 40% from the field against TMU.
