Unselfishness carries TMU Women's Basketball to win over OUAZ

As fourth-ranked TMU Women's Basketball continues its best-ever start to a season, it would be easy for the Mustangs to let their on-court success get to their heads. But Master's is staying humble and sharing the basketball as well as it has all season, as evidenced in a 77-42 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over OUAZ on Saturday afternoon inside The MacArthur Center.
 
"We assisted on 26 of our 29 makes," Master's Head Coach Lisa Zamroz said. "We're playing for each other and I don't know a better way to show team basketball than 90% of our makes coming from a teammate."
 
Nine different Mustangs recorded at least one assist, including six each from Rebekah Throns and Giani Wimbish-Gay.
 
Many of TMU's assists went to Stephanie Soares, who scored 33 points, the second-most of her storied career. In the win, the junior moved up to third all-time in program history in career points (1,668) and eclipsed 400 career blocks.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, Soares (19 rebounds) had more points herself than the entire OUAZ team.
 
When the Spirit doubled Soares (three assists), she happily dished off to her teammates cutting toward the basket or out on the perimeter, exemplifying the team's unselfish play.
 
Not only did the Mustangs move the ball effectively, but they executed their defensive game plan as well, especially in the first half when they limited the Spirit to single-digit points in both the first and second quarters.
 
"Sedona Anderson and Makayla Holthaus combined for 40 points when we played OUAZ back at the beginning of December," Zamroz said. "We didn't want to allow that again and held them to a combined 16 points today."
 
Master's (22-0 overall, 11-0 GSAC) now gets a week to rest in the leadup to its NAIA top-five showdown against No. 5 Westmont College on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. inside The MacArthur Center.