Jacquelyn Marshall

Monday’s victory over Wayland Baptist had to have been one of the more exciting performances in The Master’s College women’s basketball team’s 2013-14 campaign.

After two overtimes, the 12th-ranked Lady Mustangs narrowly bested the Queens (3-5) 88-87 and raised their season record to 8-3.

“I’m thrilled to see us get this overtime win after dropping a tough overtime loss during the Thanksgiving break,” assessed Lady Mustang head coach Dan Waldeck.

Despite tying the game twice early in the first half, TMC trailed the entirety of the initial 20 minutes.  With one second left in the first stanza, Wayland Baptist’s Laura Castillo drained a long-range three pointer, giving the Queens a royal lead at 43-32.

At the break, Jacqulyn Marshall (San Clemente, CA) led TMC by scoring 7 points and pulling down 7 rebounds.  The Lady Mustangs went 13-33 (39%) from the field, 2-12 (17%) behind the arc, and 4-5 (80%) on free throws.

Back on the court, the Queens continued their scoring rampage by scoring three points off a layup and a free throw in the opening two minutes of the second half.

But, a three-pointer by Zoe Scott (Spokane, WA) ignited an amazing 27-0 run, giving the Lady Mustangs a 59-46 advantage with 11 minutes left on the clock.

Not going down without a fight, the Queens fought back in the following 8 minutes, tying the game at 64-64.

In the final 3 minutes of the second half, each team played a conservative game. After tying the game once more, Castillo gave the Queens a 69-67 lead with 19 seconds to play.

However, Marshall sent the game into the first overtime by tipping-in the ball at the buzzer, tying the game at 69-69.

In the extra frame, the Queens maintained a solid lead until Shannon Kingery (West Hills, CA) tied the game at 77-77 with 26 seconds left.  TMC’s defense forced a second overtime by closing things with the aforementioned tie.

In the second overtime, the Lady Mustangs ran out to a powerful six-point lead at the 83-77 mark, until the Queens battled back to tie things at 83-83 with 1:31 left on the clock.

Nicole Nitake (Torrance, CA) countered an Iesha Greer jumper by producing TMC’s final five points off a jumper, a layup, and a free throw giving the Lady Mustangs an 88-85 advantage.

In a valiant effort to bring the game into a third overtime, Wayland Baptist’s Shawna Monreal vied for a three-pointer, but instead, drained a long-range jumper at the buzzer giving TMC a narrow 88-87 victory.

At the end of the game, Marshall earned a double-double with 17 points and 21 rebounds.  Kingery and Nicole Nitake each followed by scoring 14 points.  Scott notched 13 more points and led the squad in assists with 6 dimes.

Collectively, TMC went 33-76 (43%) from the field, 6-24 (25%) behind the arc, and 16-21 (76%) behind the charity stripe.  Contributing to the win, TMC’s bench outscored Wayland Baptist’s 30-12.

“It’s always tough to play heading into a long break,” further commented Waldeck. “Tons of credit goes to Wayland Baptist as they played a great game. To have so many young players stepping into huge rules bodes well for the continued progress of our team. It was great to see our team’s resolve to find a way to get the victory.”

The Lady Mustangs will now hang their basketball shoes with care as the squad now adjourns for a well-deserved Christmas break.  TMC will return to the court on December 27 in the 2013 Jersey Mike’s Holiday Classic on Bross Court to face Dakota Wesleyan in a 5:00 p.m. tipoff.