A difficult first quarter proved too much to overcome as The Master’s University women’s basketball team fell to the Hope International Royals 60-53 Tuesday night, Jan. 6 in Fullerton.

The Lady Mustangs (7-6, 3-1) were out-scored in that first quarter 24-8, hitting just four of 16 shots, while the Royals dropped eight of 15, including a pair of threes. Hope was also able to grab a significant rebounding edge (13-7) over those first 10 minutes.

“Tough loss tonight,” said TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson. “We dug a hole early in the first quarter and couldn’t come back.”

The Royals dominated from the opening tip-off, allowing TMU to tie the score once at 2-2. A 5-0 run put HIU up 7-2 before a steal by Abbie Mullins led Bella Forker to a layup to draw TMU to with three. From there, Hope International went on a 13-0 run, shutting out The Master’s for nearly five minutes of game time.

Fortunes reversed for TMU in the second quarter, out-scoring the Royals 19-8 but going to the locker room at the break still down 32-27. Alli VanKooten led The Master’s with seven points in the frame.

A layup by Chloe Auble tied the score at 32-32 with 7:43 to play in the third. It was just the second time the Lady Mustangs were able to tie the game. That woke up the Royals once again as they went off on an 8-0 run, and even though TMU got to within three points twice in the quarter, a 7-0 Hope run closed out the quarter with the Royals up 49-39.

HIU continued the pressure at the start of the fourth, pulling out to a 58-45 lead with 3:31 to play. A three-pointer from Auble and a jumper by newcomer Ella Hoover helped to draw the Lady Mustangs to within seven at 58-51. But the teams simply traded a pair of free throws in the final 41 seconds to get to the final 60-53 score.

“Our second quarter was our best offensively, and we battled back to close the gap,” Wilson said. “However, it just wasn’t enough to win. Not everyone showed up tonight but sometimes that happens and these games can help us grow as we learn a lot. I’m glad it happened early in the season rather than later. We have time to adjust things and work even harder.”

The Master’s finished the night making 20 of 67 (30 percent) from the field while the Royals hit better than 41 percent. VanKooten led the Lady Mustangs with 15 points and 10 rebounds, recording her eighth double-double of the season. Allie Miller followed with 14.

A pair of players made their Master’s debut as Kylin DeVries scored five points and Hoover added four.

“(I’m) very proud of Kylin,” Wilson said. “She did well for her first college game. Came out aggressive and had great defense. Also, Ella had a nice Master’s debut. She’s a team player and always adds a positive attitude and has a scrappy game.”

The Master’s will return home Thursday, Jan. 8 when the team hosts the Embry-Riddle Eagles in The MacArthur Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.