Firestorm's hot shooting takes down TMU Women's Basketball

The Master's University women's basketball team rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit on Friday to defeat Arizona Christian University. There would be no such comeback on Saturday, as the Firestorm (9-5 overall, 3-3 GSAC) outscored the Mustangs (5-3, 3-1) in all four quarters, claiming a 74-45 road victory.
 
"They hit some shots, came out and did a good job defensively," Master's head coach Dan Waldeck said.  "We were pretty tired. We were a step slow the whole afternoon, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. We have girls who are fighting on one leg. They're battling and trying to give their best, and we did.
 
"There's going to be moments this year where we're really good and there's going to be moments that are difficult. That was just one of those moments. Credit to them. They played really well and shot it out of their minds."
 
Four 3-pointers in the opening quarter helped Arizona Christian race out to a 21-10 lead after one, before the Firestorm extended its advantage to 14 at halftime, 35-21.
 
The visitors then went up by 20 at the start of the third quarter, before back-to-back triples from Ella Brubaker and Anika Neuman gave the Mustangs some life.
 
However, Arizona Christian began to catch fire from behind the arc, shooting six of seven from deep in the third as part of a 25-point quarter. The Firestorm then shot two of three from 3-point range to finish the second half eight of 10 from distance.
 
Not helping the Mustangs' cause were 28 turnovers.
 
"The turnovers killed us," Waldeck said. "It's been a struggle for us all year. Our two starting point guards have been out. You're trying to put different people in different roles. It's a little clunky sometimes. Today they exploited that. Other games we were able to figure it out. Today we just never really did."
 
Jessica Soares tallied double-digit rebounds for the second-straight game and for the fourth time this season, grabbing 11 boards to lead all players. She also added 12 points to record a double-double.
 
"She played great," Waldeck said of Soares. "Her playing 32 minutes speaks to the reality of where our team is at. You have a senior who's battled injuries who's having to play a ton of minutes. She was awesome and was out there fighting, getting rebounds. I thought all four of our seniors were playing hard. I'm proud of them."
 
Another senior, Neuman, was the other Mustang to score in double figures.
 
"It's really good," Waldeck said of Neuman's scoring production. "It's needed. We're not going to score 45 points and win very many games no matter what, but to see her hit some shots was good."
 
With all the injuries the team has been battling, Waldeck was encouraged by how his younger players performed.
 
"I thought there were some bright spots with some of our young girls getting some rebounds," Waldeck said. "We're trying to see the parts of encouragement when we can. No one likes to lose, especially by 29. I've seen crazy things happen this year that wouldn't normally happen. Back-to-backs are going to be difficult for us. They just are."
 
Master's now has six days until its next Golden State Athletic Conference game, at home against William Jessup University on Feb. 5 at 2:30 p.m. TMU will then host the Warriors again on Feb. 6 at noon.
 
The two teams are tied atop the GSAC East with identical 3-1 conference records and four GSAC games remaining. The winner of the GSAC East will earn one of the conference's two automatic berths to the NAIA National Championships.
 
"They have one loss and we have one loss, so the reality is a 29-point loss or a 29-point victory is still just a loss or a victory," Waldeck said. "For us, we're still in a good situation. We're right there with Jessup, so it's going to be a dogfight for our two schools to see who gets an automatic berth. That's kind of fun. We're in a good position right now, so we're just going to keep playing."
 
Going into those pivotal matchups next weekend, Waldeck said he wants his team to have no regrets.
 
"For us it's about playing each minute because if we've learned anything this year, the next minute is not promised," Waldeck said. "Just give your best in the moment, so you can walk off the court without any regrets. That's the mindset we're taking into every game."