The Master's University women's basketball returned to the winning column in convincing fashion, defeating Ottawa University of Arizona (OUAZ) 72-58 at The MacArthur Center in Santa Clarita, Calif. Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs took care of business by overtaking a Spirit roster that had been undefeated in the GSAC and only lost three of 15 games. But for TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson, she was glad her team met their opponents head on.
"They're really good," Coach Wilson said about the Spirit. "They have intensity, they go hard. So I'm glad my girls rose to the occasion because they got the stops that we needed to get."
From tip-off to the final buzzer, the Mustangs held their lead throughout the entire game, kicked off by a soaring 3-pointer from sophomore Nicole Chuang and capped with a 14-point lead to end the game.
The Mustangs played a good offensive game, making 26 of 58 (44.8%) of their shots from inside the arc while also making 18 of 22 (81.8%) of their free-throws. But the Mustangs also played a suffocating defense against the Spirit, as OUAZ only made 22 of 69 (31.9%) shots from inside and kept the Spirit blank from outside the arc.
And for Coach Wilson, she saw her bench lead the team's defensive efforts.
"I think my bench came in as a spark and really did the job where we got our stops. Then we were able to capitalize on that." Coach Wilson said about the bench's effort. "When the second team came in, it was the difference with the defense… We were already proactive on it."
Senior Lexi Hernandez led the team with 12 points and added 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season and fifth game in a row. Sophomores Alli Van Kooten and Allie Miller recorded 10 points each, with VanKooten also snagging 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Sophomore Abbie Mullins notably made all eight of her free-throws.
The Lady Mustangs also had 11 blocks in the game, led by VanKooten with five.
The Mustangs will have some time to rest before they begin a two-game road trip through Arizona, beginning with their match against Benedictine University Mesa (AZ) in Mesa, Ariz. on Thursday at 4 p.m.
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