Three different players each scored 17 points and the team shot nearly 50 percent from the field as The Master’s University women’s basketball team defeated Benedictine Mesa 83-71 Thursday night, Jan. 16 in Mesa, Ariz.

Marin Lenz, Lexi Hernandez and Kelly Mathiesen each scored 17 points, with Lenz adding 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Mustangs (9-5, 2-1 GSAC). For Mathiesen, now in her third year with the program, it was a new career-high.

As a team, TMU shot 34 of 69 (49 percent) and six of 21 (29 percent) from three-point range. The Mustangs won the rebound battle (39-35) and collected more points in the paint (22-14). The defense held the Redhawks to 34 percent shooting from the field. Both teams turned the ball over 15 times.

“We really had a goal to lessen the amount of turnovers,” said TMU Head Coach Fonda Wilson. “We did a great job in the first half pressuring the ball and they did a great job playing though adversity. It was a real physical game.”

Things started off as well as could possibly be expected, with The Master’s jumping out to a 30-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. Alli VanKooten scored eight points on four of six shooting, mostly from the paint, in that opening frame.

By the time the teams went to the locker room the difference was 20 points, 48-28. Benedictine Mesa came out firing in the third quarter, winning the period 23-18, and despite out-scoring the Lady Mustangs in the fourth quarter as well, it was not enough to overcome the double-digit lead.

VanKooten finished with 12 points and added a game-high four blocks. She and Nicole Chuang also led the team with three assists each.

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