TMU Women's Basketball claims GSAC Tournament title

The revenge tour is complete.
 
No. 7 TMU Women's Basketball finished off a clean sweep in the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament of the three teams it suffered regular season losses to, culminating in a 63-55 victory over No. 2 Westmont College in the championship game on Saturday inside The MacArthur Center.
 
"I could not be prouder of this group," Master's Head Coach Lisa Zamroz said. "We chose the toughest road to get here tonight. To beat all three teams we lost to this season makes this that much sweeter."
 
The conference tournament title is the Mustangs' fourth-ever and first since 2015.
 
TMU's 29th win of the campaign, which tied the 2019-20 team's program record for most wins in a single season, also avenged a loss to Westmont in the last GSAC Championship played in 2020.
 
"It was amazing to come back and win, especially since we lost the last time we were in the GSAC Championship against Westmont," said senior captain Rebekah Throns, who tallied a team-high four assists to go along with her four points and six rebounds. "It was just such an unreal moment. This team is special and all the ups and downs we've gone through were absolutely worth it."
 
In a highly anticipated matchup between the tournament's top-two seeds who split their two matchups in the regular season, neither team led by more than two in the opening quarter.
 
Stephanie Soares set the tone defensively right from the outset, with three blocks in the first period alone. Lexi Hernandez beat the first-quarter buzzer with a lay-in to tie the game at 12 apiece entering the second.
 
With Westmont leading 20-18 a few minutes into the second period, a 9-0 TMU run put Master's ahead by seven before the Mustangs took a five-point lead into the half, 29-24.
 
"We wanted to bring energy and poise," Throns said. "We knew they would be physical and come at us, but we wanted to be the aggressors and the ones to come out fighting."
 
The Warriors quickly tied the game early in the third quarter, before a pair of Ella Brubaker layups and a Giani Wimbish-Gay 3-pointer sparked a 11-1 run that put TMU up by double digits.
 
Westmont then scored the final five points of the period, including a buzzer-beating stepback triple, giving the defending national champions momentum going into the fourth only down by five.
 
Master's then had its lead reduced to four on a few occasions throughout the final stanza, but the Mustangs shot a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line (6-for-6 from Soares, 4-for-4 from Ella Brubaker) in the final quarter to help TMU close out the game.
 
"It was a competitive game to the end," Zamroz said. "We had opportunities to waver when Westmont made a run at the end of the third and hit a gut-punching 3 at the buzzer.
 
"But we just kept competing. We were resolved to win and believed we would until the buzzer sounded."
 
Co-GSAC Player of the Year Soares posted her third double-double in as many games in the tournament, dominating with 24 points, 23 rebounds and seven blocks.
 
Ella Brubaker (11 points) and Giani Wimbish-Gay (13 points) also scored in double figures.
 
"So many people stepped up in huge ways," Zamroz said. "I'm just so proud of them."
 
Master's (29-3 overall) will next play in the NAIA Opening Round March 11-12, when the Mustangs will serve as one of 16 hosts for the Opening Round.
 
"We look forward to a few days off and then regrouping for our final goal of the season," Zamroz said.