Costa Mesa -- Finally returning to the court, the Vanguard University women's basketball team faced a problematic matchup at home Saturday night against the #4 team in the NAIA. The Master's Mustangs entered the contest perfect on the year and took down the #20 Lions at the end of the night 76-54. VU falls to 7-7 overall and 3-6 in Golden State Athletic Conference action. TMU goes to 20-0 overall and 9-0 in the GSAC.
What Happened? The first quarter got away from the Blue and Gold, as the team was outscored 19-7. The Mustangs went on a 14-2 run over the first five minutes of play, as the visitors handled the Vanguard attack with ease. Airiana Madanski (SO/Gilbert, AZ) made the first three of the night for the Lions with 4:15 left in the first but the squad could not cut much further into the gap. TMU shot 50% from the field over the first 10 minutes, while VU shot 20%.
The Lions did strike back some in the second period. Melissa Akullu (SO/Kampala, Uganda) made a pair of layups two minutes in and put down two free throws a minute later to cut the deficit to 21-13. A lay-in for Hannah Monty (JR/Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) and a jumper from Gabriela Rosas (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) made it 23-17 with 5:15 to go in the half. Some good defense allowed VU to hold the line for the next few possessions, allowing the offense to go to work. Akullu would deposit a layup off of a delicious feed from Monty to make it 23-19 with 4:16 to go in the second quarter. The Lions then worked the ball around smartly and a converted three from Madanski made it a one-possession game at 25-22 with 2:34 remaining in the half.
Unfortunately, that would be as close as VU got in the game. The Mustangs ended the half on a 10-4 run to take a 35-26 lead into the intermission, even though Vanguard outscored TMU 19-16 in the second frame.
The Master's scored first in the second half with a pair of quick-strike layups from Stephanie Soares, with Lauren Baumgartner (JR/Meridian, ID) making a step-back jumper between the two scores from the Brazilian. Akullu and Baumgartner would each score again for VU but the lead for the Mustangs grew to 51-31 with 3:19 to go in the third. TMU won the period 26-14 while shooting 64.7% from the field, while VU shot 33.3%.
The fourth was closer between the two but the gap was too large for the Lions to overcome. Baumgartner drove home a three with 19 seconds to go to end the scoring for the game, as VU took the loss 76-54.
Vanguard shot 35% from the floor for the game, going 21-for-60. The Lions went 5-for-18 from beyond the arc (27.8%) and converted 7-10 free throws. TMU shot 53.3% for the game, going 50% (7-14) from deep. The Mustangs also won the rebound battle 34-22. Akullu led the team with 13 points and finished second with six rebounds. Madanski had 12 points, while Baumgartner had nine points and paced the team with seven rebounds. Rosas had 11 points to finish third on the team for the game.
Why it's Important? The Lions have now lost their last three matchups against TMU and six of the last seven. Despite that, VU still leads the all-time series 48-25. The Lions now sit seventh in the standings, one game up on San Diego Christian.
What's Next? The team will get the week to rest up and practice before their next game on Saturday, January 22, at 5:30 p.m. against Life Pacific.
