The Master’s University women’s basketball team used strong first and third quarters and suffocating defense to defeat the Arizona Christian Firestorm 66-52 on Saturday, Jan. 17 in Glendale, Ariz.

Chloe Auble scored a team-high 19 points and Alli VanKooten had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lady Mustangs got off to hot start in the opening 10 minutes, making eight of  16 shot attempts, including four from downtown. Auble had nine of TMU’s 20 points in the first quarter. TMU also held ACU to just 26.7 percent shooting and just four field goal makes.

“Amazing win today. Our defense is was what changed the game,” said TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson. “We came out aggressive and ready to go from the start. Izabella, Kylin and Madi had excellent ball pressure and played some of the best defense I’ve seen this season.”

In the second quarter, TMU struggled, shooting below 30 percent from the field. ACU crept back into the ballgame, trailing by just five points at the break.

The Lady Mustangs, despite poor shooting, extended the lead after halftime. This was due to nine offensive rebounds, leading to seven more shot attempts for TMU in the quarter. The Master’s also forced four turnovers as it outscored ACU 18-10 in the third period. TMU was able to use that strong third quarter to cruise to its third straight win in conference play.

In a game that TMU never trailed, the defense was at the forefront, with ACU finishing with 29 percent shooting and 17 turnovers.

“I’m so proud of all the girls for putting in the hard work and getting two clean wins on the road,” Wilson said.

Allie Miller had 14 points and eight rebounds while Izabella Forker had nine points and nine rebounds.

The Master’s will return home and face Park Gilbert on Thursday, Jan. 22 in The MacArthur Center.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.