The Master’s University women’s basketball lost the first game of the Raider Classic tournament to Southern Oregon, 61-58 Thursday, Nov. 6 in Ashland, Ore.

Alli VanKooten dropped 15 points on five of nine shooting and eight rebounds. She also had four assists and three steals.

TMU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and held a five point advantage at the finish of the opening frame at 16-11. The Master’s had eight players dressed to play, which was an upgrade for their depth over their previous game.

The Lady Mustang’s defense was active early and often, forcing 18 Raider turnovers and holding them to 36 percent shooting from the field. Izabella Forker scored 11 points, had five assists and seven rebounds, with three of them being offensive rebounds. The offensive glass was a bright spot for the Lady Mustangs, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and 10 second chance points.

“Our help-side defense was great, with the girls all helping each other in man defense,” TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson said. “Our offensive rebounds were great, too, with how tired they were.”

In the second quarter, Southern Oregon clawed back to tie the game and scored just before the halftime buzzer to hold a 32-29 advantage at the break. The Raiders extended the lead to as much as 11 points in the third quarter. TMU cut it down to five at the start of the fourth quarter but struggled to reclaim the lead in the final frame.

“It was just too little too late,” Wilson said. “The first quarter was good but we beat ourselves with turnovers in the second and third quarters.”

In the final minute, Forker’s layup cut it to a three point advantage but Raider free throws sealed the deal in favor of Southern Oregon.

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