Box Score For the second consecutive day, The Master's women's basketball team has defeated a team receiving votes for the NAIA Top 25.
On Thursday, the Lady Mustangs beat MidAmerica Nazarene 59-56 at the Cactus Classic in Chandler, Ariz. TMU defeated Montana Western 69-56 on Wednesday.
Despite shooting under 40% from the field, the Lady Mustangs (11-1) held the Pioneers to 37% shooting. Most importantly, TMU forced MNU into 20 turnovers that created a difference of 21-10 in points off turnovers.
"Rough start we had to crawl out of again today," said TMU Head Coach Lisa Zamroz. "It wasn't pretty on either side. We were struggling to contain (MNU center Kameron Green) in the paint, but a late adjustment to double from the weak side stunted their rhythm and we got some crucial turnovers."
Both teams struggled shooting in the first half, with each marking an identical 12 of 29 (41%). The Pioneers, however, had a decided rebounding advantage (24-12), but Pioneer turnovers kept the halftime score close at 32-30 in favor of MNU.
That two-point difference was maintained through the third quarter, but The Master's stepped up their defense in the fourth quarter, holding the Pioneers to just seven points on 2 of 12 shooting to get the three-point win.
"Loved our mental toughness to bounce back after some late mistakes and missed shots," Zamroz said. "Nicole (Chuang) iced the game for us with two huge free throws on her birthday today, followed by a 17-second team defensive stand to hold them off."
Belle Hernandez led TMU with 17 points, followed by
Marin Lenz with 12 and both
Lexi Hernandez and Chuang adding 11. Maddie Cooke had a team-high 10 rebounds and four more blocks adding to her conference leading total of 35 on the year.
The Master's will take on Montana Tech Friday at 5 p.m. PT in the final game of the Cactus Classic.
