Box Score The Firestorm women's basketball team upset the 16th ranked The Masters College Mustangs on Saturday afternoon by a final of 71-64 inside of Fultz Memorial Gymnasium.
PHOENIX, AZ– The Arizona Christian Firestorm women's basketball team upset the 16th ranked The Masters College Mustangs on Saturday afternoon by a final of 71-64 inside of Fultz Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Arizona Christian University.
With the victory, the Firestorm improve to 6-22 overall and 2-13 in GSAC play. With the loss, the 16th ranked The Masters College Mustangs fall to 19-8 overall and 9-5 in GSAC play.
"This was a great win for us," said ACU head coach Odell Berry. "It was a tremendous defensive effort against one of the best offensive teams in the GSAC."
The Firestorm played with shorthanded on Saturday, with just eight players suited for the game. Arizona Christian fared well in the first half, going into the locker room tied with the 16th ranked team at the nation at 34 apiece. ACU shot 43% (14-for-32) from the floor in the first half and shot 40% (4-for-10) from beyond the three-point arc, while shooting just 2-for-4 from the free-throw line. Seven of ACU's eight players scored at least once in the first half. The Master's College shot 37% (12-for-32) from the floor in the first half, and shot 50% (4-for-8) from beyond the three-point arc. The Mustangs went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in the first half.
In the second half, ACU kept up the intensity and charged past the Mustangs; outscoring The Masters College 37-30. Arizona Christian shot 43% (13-for-30) from the field and shot 62% (5-for-8) from beyond the three-point arc. The Firestorm shot 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the second half. The Mustangs shot just 31% (9-for-29) from the floor and shot 22% (2-for-9) from beyond the three-point arc. The Master's College attempted 14 free-throws in the second half, making ten of them.
"The girls gave a solid effort for the full 40 minutes," said ACU head coach Odell Berry. "It was a total team win, with everyone doing their job when they were called on. I am very pleased with the improvement of their poise and focus over the last few weeks. We still need a win in Sacramento on Tuesday to make the conference tournament, so we still have our work cut out for us."
In the victory, the Firestorm had four players finish in double figures and seven of their eight players scored at least one basket. Leading the way was Taylor Blue with 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting with eight rebounds and an assist.
The Firestorm women close out the regular season this Tuesday in Rocklin, California at William Jessup University. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm Arizona time and the men will follow at 8:30pm.
