Mustangs enter conference play unbeaten

No. 20 TMU Women's Basketball will enter Golden State Athletic Conference play unbeaten at 5-0 overall after handling visiting Westcliff University, 73-51, on Thursday night inside The MacArthur Center.
 
"We shot it well across the board," Master's Head Coach Lisa Zamroz said. "Several people contributed and made a significant impact."
 
The Mustangs shot an efficient 43.5% from behind the arc, sinking 10 3-pointers, their most in a game so far this season. Allyson Pettit (13 points) made three triples, while Katelyn Saulog (10 points), Olivia Prettyman (eight points) and Lexi Hernandez (eight points) all made two.
 
The Warriors had no answer for Stephanie Soares (26 points, 16 rebounds), who recorded her fifth-straight double-double.
 
"Steph was dialed in tonight," Zamroz said. "Her focused attention on the glass was evident from the tip."
 
Soares scored the first points of the game to get TMU on the board, sparking a 6-0 Mustang run out of the gates.
 
Westcliff fought its way back to tie the game at 9-9, prompting a Mustang timeout. The timeout had the desired effect, as a Prettyman 3-pointer helped the Mustangs outscore the Warriors by eight the rest of the quarter.
 
Master's outscored Westcliff by eight points again in the second quarter, before scoring 10 more points than the visitors in the third to take a commanding 26-point lead going into the fourth period.
 
The Warriors then held the Mustangs scoreless for the first four minutes of the final quarter, scoring the first 10 points of the final period to get to within 16. That was as close as the visitors would get though, as Master's sealed the deal to remain unbeaten.
 
Zamroz highlighted the return of Rebekah Throns, who led the team with six assists.
 
"It was great to have Rebekah back after missing her at Chapman," Zamroz said. "She has a knack for finding the open player and she brings a steadying presence on the floor."
 
Master's opens up conference play on Saturday at No. 1 Westmont College, the reigning NAIA national champions. The opening tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Santa Barbara.