Soares' career-high scoring performance leads Mustangs over Oaks

Stephanie Soares poured in a career-high 36 points, leading No. 6 TMU Women's Basketball to a 67-56 road victory over Menlo College in the teams' Golden State Athletic Conference regular season finale.
 
"Steph had herself a game," Master's Head Coach Lisa Zamroz said. "She held great position all game and didn't back down from the physical play. When she plays with that type of intensity, it takes our team to another level of play and confidence."
 
After the Mustangs held a 15-14 advantage following the first quarter, Soares scored 14 of TMU's 18 points in the second period, helping Master's take a 33-26 lead into halftime.
 
TMU extended its lead to as many as 19 with 2:04 left in the third quarter, before the Oaks charged back to within six with just under two minutes to play in the fourth.
 
Then after a missed Mustang free throw, an offensive rebound and putback from Lexi Hernandez all but ended Menlo's comeback bid.
 
"Lexi had a huge offensive rebound late in the fourth when Menlo was making its final push," Zamroz said.
 
The win earns Master's (26-3 overall, 15-3 GSAC) the second seed in the upcoming GSAC Tournament, which it is hosting Wednesday through Saturday.
 
After getting a first-round bye, the Mustangs will advance to the quarterfinals to play the winner of Wednesday's game between seventh-seeded Vanguard University and 10th-seeded Life Pacific University.
 
"As a competitor, I'm excited about having the second seed," Zamroz said. "If all goes according to plan, we'll play each of the teams that gave us a loss this season. We are looking forward to the opportunity to have the final say."