SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – An outstanding defensive effort by the 13th-ranked Vanguard women's basketball team fueled a 69-56 road victory against The Master's on Saturday evening at Bross Court.

The Mustangs came in averaging 76.5 points per game – second-best in the Golden State Athletic Conference – and the Lions held them 20 points below their average in leading from start to finish.

The Lions hounded their opponent all game, converting 25 turnovers into 26 points and holding TMU to 32.3 (20 of 62) shooting, including 20.0 (5 of 25) percent efficiency from three. VU had 12 steals, including five by Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA).

VU set the tone early as the Mustangs had 17 turnovers in the first half alone. The Lions built a 38-24 lead at intermission as they sported a 22-5 edge in points off turnovers.

Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) tied for game-high scoring honors with 21 points on 10 of 21 shooting. It was the fifth straight game that she led the team in points. In addition, she grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.

Si'i and Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID) poured in 17 points apiece. Si'i dished out 10 assists in tallying her second career double-double. She added six rebounds and knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Baumgartner sank three triples and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals to the stat sheet.

The fourth Lion double-digit scorer was Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) with 11.

VU shot 39.1 (27 of 69) percent from the floor and assisted on 18 of its 27 buckets.

Madeline Cooke led the Mustangs with a 15-point, 17-rebound double-double. She pulled down seven of TMU's 21 offensive rebounds. Ella Brubaker, the GSAC leading scorer, had 21 points but struggled with 7 of 20 shooting.

The Lions won their third straight regular season game in Santa Clarita, improving to 12-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play. The Mustangs fell to 12-5 and 5-4 in league action.

What Happened?: Vanguard raced out to a 6-0 lead on Baumgartner and Airiana Madanski (JR/Gilbert, AZ) threes, and forced The Master's into turnovers in four of its first five possessions.

The Mustangs missed their first eight shots and got their only points from a pair of Brubaker free throws as VU led 8-2 three and half minutes into the game. Brubaker hit a three for TMU's first field goal at 5:59, and the Mustangs eventually tied the score at 12-12 on Marin Lenz's trey.

However, the Lions leveraged their defense and forced six more Mustang turnovers during an 11-0 run. Si'i made a pair of steals that led to baskets and a 23-12 Lion lead. Eleven TMU turnovers led to easy VU baskets, as the Blue and Gold shot 50.0 (10 of 20) percent in the first quarter.

Both teams shot an identical 28.6 percent in the second quarter, but the Lions outscored the Mustangs by five in the period to take a 38-24 lead at halftime. VU scored the final six points of the quarter as steals by Baumgartner and Si'i led to consecutive layups from Akullu, followed by a pair of Si'i free throws.

TMU labored with 29.0 (9 of 31) percent first half shooting. VU got inside for high percentage baskets and held a 20-10 advantage in points in the paint.

The second half was played much more evenly as the Mustangs tried to close the gap in the third period. VU started strongly, hitting its first four shots to open up a 45-27 lead at the 8:10 mark.

But the Mustangs went on a 14-2 run to pull within 50-44 with 41 ticks remaining in the period. Cooke had eight points and a couple of blocks to fuel the surge. However, Si'i nailed a crucial three as time expired to boost the Lion lead back to nine entering the final 10 minutes.

VU came out reinvigorated on defense to start the fourth and held TMU scoreless over the first four minutes. That allowed the Lions to extend the lead back to 14, 58-44, on an Akullu layup.

Cooke hit two free throws to pull TMU within 60-49, but Si'i worked her way inside for consecutive layups as VU opened up a 64-50 lead with 2:17 to go.

The 13-point win matched VU's largest on TMU's home court in over more than a decade. VU defeated TMU, 62-49, on Jan. 14, 2012.

Why Is It Important?: Vanguard stayed on pace with league-leading Westmont and Hope International with the win. The Lions trail the Warriors and Royals by two games in the GSAC standings.

What Was Said?: "We played hard in a super physical game for the entire 40 minutes. Needed to bounce back for sure," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "I'm super proud of them for executing the game plan. We stepped up because The Master's played well and never quit."

What's Next?: The Lions step away from GSAC play to take on Bethesda on Thursday, Jan. 19. The teams will play at 4:45 p.m. at the Salvation Army in Anaheim.