SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The Vanguard women's basketball team endured a rough night of shooting as The Master's sprung a 68-62 upset on the 10th-ranked Lions at The MacArthur Center on Thursday night.
The Lions shot 34.3 (23 of 67) percent from the field, including a season-low 9.1 (2 of 22) percent from three, yet still was positioned to win the game, trailing by just two with eight seconds remaining.
Melissa Akullu and Halle Si'i accounted for 49 of the 62 VU points, combining to shoot 18 of 35 from the floor. The rest of the team struggled to hit shots, making just 5 of 32 overall.
The Master's also contested shots all night and racked up nine blocks, four by GSAC leading rim protector Madeline Cooke. The Mustangs shot 45.3 (24 of 53) percent overall, but helped themselves mainly at the free throw line. TMU made 14 of 15 from the stripe to finish at 93.3 percent.
Akullu finished with 31 points and a career-high tying 21 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive end. VU had 24 offensive rebounds in total that aided in a 22-12 second chance points advantage. It was the senior's sixth 30-point effort, and her second 30-point, 20-rebound performance this season.
Akullu shot 12 of 21 overall, including 7 of 9 at the foul line, and had four steals.
Si'i notched 18 points, two rebounds and two assists while shooting 6 of 14 overall and a perfect 6 of 6 at the line.
TMU had four players in double figures, led by Marin Lenz with 15 points. Nicole Chuang added 13 points and finished 3 of 5 from distance. Cooke and Isabela Hernandez chipped in with 10 points apiece.
Vanguard fell to 13-4 overall and 6-2 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Mustangs moved to 17-5 and improved to 4-4 in conference play.
What Happened?: The Lions were forced to play catch up for a majority of the game, but trailed by as many as 15 points on Chuang's layup toward the end of the third period. Si'i countered with a layup with nine ticks remaining as VU went into the final 10 minutes trailing 51-38.
Laney Grider's layup to start the fourth quarter put the Mustangs up by 15 once again, but the Lions made their comeback.
VU utilized a 9-2 run over a three minute-plus stretch to slash the deficit into single digits. Jaryn Madsen drew a foul on Lenz and made the layup and free throw to bring the Lions within 55-47 with 5:57 to go.
The Mustangs responded with back-to-back baskets by sisters Isabela and Lexi Hernandez to extend their lead back to 59-47. But a 13-4 Lion surge whittled the deficit to 63-60. Si'i, who had 12 points in the fourth, scored eight straight to get VU within three with 45 seconds remaining.
Airiana Madanski's steal gave the Lions an opportunity to tie the game with 28 seconds left on the clock. But Madsen misfired on a three-pointer. Akullu grabbed the offensive rebound, but appeared to stumble and was whistled for traveling.
Following a VU foul, Madsen fouled Isabela Hernandez, who made 1 of 2 free throws for a 64-60 TMU advantage. On the next possession, Akullu rebounded a Si'i miss and converted the putback to close the gap to 64-62 with eight seconds left.
Madanski fouled Grider on the inbounds, and Grider hit two huge free throws to make it a two-possession game as the Lions ran out of time.
VU's last lead occurred in the first period as Akullu's layup gave the visitors an 8-6 edge at the 5:45 mark. The Mustangs closed the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.
The Lions outscored the Mustangs 20-15 in the second frame to trail by just four at halftime. Akullu dominated with 12 points, with her layup on the fastbreak chopping TMU's lead to 27-25 with 2:17 to play before the break.
The Blue and Gold could not get any closer though. Lenz sank a three and hit two free throws to put TMU back in front by seven, before Alexa Silva's triple narrowed the deficit to four.
VU dug a hole in the third quarter, shooting just 27.3 (3 of 11) percent while TMU countered at 50.0 (7 of 14) percent.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions started the second half of GSAC play by falling behind league-leading Menlo by two games. The Oaks just squeaked by OUAZ, 74-70, narrowly avoiding the upset in Surprise, Ariz.
What Was Said?: "Every game in this conference is a tough game and The Master's outworked us and outhustled us in major areas, including us going 2 of 22 from three," said Assistant Coach Sierra Vaglica. "Melissa was outstanding for us but we need more of our girls to step up. It's a quick turnaround for us and we need to bounce back Saturday against Hope."
What's Next?: The Lions take on Hope International on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Please note the game will be played at Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach.
