The Master’s Mustangs (8-5, 3-2 GSAC) came into Murchison Gymnasium on Saturday night and walked away with a 85-76 Golden State Athletic Conference win over the fourteenth-ranked Westmont Warriors (10-3, 3-2 GSAC).
The Warriors struggled offensively, making 30 of 79 from the floor (38.0%), including just five of 28 from three-point range (17.9%). The Master’s shot 50.0% from the floor (30 of 60) and 40.0% from long distance (6 of 15).
“We definitely struggled to find the bottom of the net,” said Warrior Head Coach Kirsten Moore. “The Master’s ran their half-court trap against us and so there was going to be a lot of open shots. I don’t think we took very many bad shots – we had pretty good shots – but they weren’t going in. However, that isn’t what lost us the game. We scored 76 points. It was our defense that lost us the game. We need to keep focusing on that and make a commitment to improve.”
The Warriors had six players in double figures including two with double-doubles. Angel Blanco led the team in scoring and rebounding with 16 points and 11 boards. Amber Stevens added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Katie Kittle contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Alisha Heglund scored 12 points and posted five rebounds. Jessica Case and Vanessa Farias both reached 10 points.
The Master’s was led by Jenna Reed with 25 points and six rebounds. Erica Inge added 19 points, six rebound and five assists. Brittany Henderson notched 13 points and 8 rebounds and Lena Rivera posted 10 points.
The two teams remained within six points of each other throughout the half with The Mustangs taking a 34-31 lead into the locker room at intermission. The Warriors scored the first four points of the second half on a jumper by Case and a layup by Kittle, but the lead was short lived.
Reed scored on the next possession and the Mustangs maintained a slight advantage until Blanco scored on a layup to tie the game at 43-all with 15:07 to play.
Westmont took a brief lead again when Kittle hit a three-pointer to give Westmont a 48-46 lead with 13:33 remaining in the game. It was the first three-pointer made by either team, and the last time the Warriors would hold the lead. The Master’s responded to Kittle’s long-range success with a 17-2 run to take a commanding 63-50 lead with 7:25 to play. Westmont would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
In other GSAC games, #3 Point Loma posted a 57-46 home victory over #12 Azusa Pacific and Concordia upset California Baptist in Irvine 84-74. Biola defeated visiting San Diego Christian 65-60 and Fresno Pacific claimed a 52-46 win on their home court over Hope International.
Point Loma now sits atop the GSAC standings with a 5-1 record. Vanguard and Azusa Pacific are one-half behind at 4-1. Four teams are now tied for fourth place with a record 3-2: Westmont, California Baptist, The Master’s, Biola. Concordia is in eight at 2-3 while Fresno Pacific is in ninth with a record of 1-4. Hope International and San Diego Christian round out the conference standings with records of 0-5.
The Warriors will host Biola on Tuesday at Murchison Gymnasium. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
