Mustangs defeat APU in exhibition

Behind 30 points from Marin Lenz, The Master's women's basketball team defeated the NCAA Division II Azusa Pacific Cougars 78-70 Saturday night in an exhibition game played in The MacArthur Center.

The Master's also won the rebounding battle, pulling down 55 boards to the Cougars' 37. And of the 55 rebounds for TMU, 23 were offensive rebounds that resulted in 16 second chance points.

"I think the girls came out hard and it was just so exhilarating," TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson said. "I said to the girls, if we can get in and rebounds and control the rebounds, we're going to win this game. So that was huge for us."

Lenz, a senior from Abbotsford, British Columbia, was 13 of 19 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line, while also pulling down nine rebounds and had a pair of steals for the Mustangs.

"Marin is our glue," Wilson said. "It is just so nice to have a player like her. Her basketball IQ is just so high, it's a joy to coach her. She's one of those players that will just go through the wall for her team."

The game started ominously for TMU as the Cougars jumped out to a 9-2 lead, The Master's then went on a 13-5 run to go up by one, before APU exploded in the second quarter to go up by as much as 11. But trio of Nicole Chuang free throws with one second on the clock sent the Mustangs to the locker room down 39-31 but with momentum on their shoulders.

That third quarter belonged to TMU, out scoring Azusa Pacific 27-14 to go up by five, 58-53. Lenz was a perfect 4 for 4 in the quarter to finish that 10-minute period with nine points, followed closely by sophomore Allu VanKooten with eight points on 4 for 5 shooting.

As a team, The Master's shot 12 of 17 (71%) from the field in that quarter.

The final quarter was more of the same from TMU, hitting 6 of 10 shots, winning the quarter and pulling away for the 78-70 win.

The Mustangs outscored the Cougars in the second half 47-31.

VanKooten finished with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Nicole Chuang scored 11 and added six assists.

The official season opener for The Master's women's basketball team will be this Wednesday when they host the La Sierra Golden Eagles. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.