On the night The Master’s University women’s basketball team honored their five graduating players, the team suffered its lowest offensive output of the season in a 60-48 loss to the Hope International Royals Thursday, Feb. 20 in The MacArthur Center. The game ended the regular season.

Yet despite the loss, the Lady Mustangs (17-8, 10-4) finish second in the conference and will host the Park-Gilbert Buccaneers next Friday, Feb. 28 in the GSAC Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals.

TMU made 20 of 71 (28 percent) shots from the field and just three of 15 from three-point range while giving up better than 48 percent from the field to the Royals.

“Senior Night is always an emotional game, and I think that played a role in how we performed,” said TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson. “We didn’t execute the way we wanted to, but I’m proud of the way our team battled. We will go to work for the GSAC championships and use this to fuel us.”

The five players graduating in May, Lexi Hernandez, Heidi Impola, Marin Lenz, Kelly Mathieson and Chloe Strachan, all got the start in their final regular season game on Bross Court.

After taking a 10-8 lead by the end of the first quarter, Hope International turned on the offense in the second frame, outscoring The Master’s 26-16 to go into the locker room with an eight-point lead.

That lead only expanded in the second half as the HIU defense held the Lady Mustangs, a team that averages better than 78 point per game, to just 22 over the final 20 minutes.

Hernandez led TMU with 12 points, followed by All VanKooten with nine and a team-high 11 rebounds. Kelly Mathiesen also finished with nine points.

The GSAC Tournament semifinal game against Park-Gilbert is set to start at 6 p.m. in The MacArthur Center on Friday, Feb. 28.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.