Santa Clarita, CA- With their 75-70 win over The Master's on Saturday, #23 Arizona Christian locked in their spot in the GSAC playoffs.  Juniors Courtney Christmas (20 points, 9 rebounds) and Jac Moody (13 points, 9 points) just missed double-doubles.

Junior Jada Willingham scored the first points of the game.  The Mustangs (16-7, 6-5 GSAC) tied the score before Willingham added another two points.  TMU knotted the game at 4-4.

Christmas delivered an "and one" to move ACU ahead and they would go on to build a 10 point lead before the first quarter ended.

Halfway through the second quarter, Christmas hit a pair of free throws to give the Firestorm (18-6, 7-4 GSAC) a 12 point cushion at 34-22- the largest lead of the afternoon.  By halftime, the score was 42-31.

Fifteen points from Christmas was the high mark at the half.  Sophomore Toni Davis contributed 10 points.

However, The Master's had a big third quarter and fought back to knot the score at 50-50.  Moody produced an "and one" of her own and Arizona Christian kept the lead.  Davis hit a big three pointer and ACU held a 58-57 edge headed to the fourth.

Junior Makayla Enders started the final quarter with a three pointer.

With 3:34 left in the game, the fourth and final tie came at 68-68.  Sixteen seconds later, Christmas hit a jumper to ensure ACU would not allow TMU to take a lead in the contest.  The Firestorm outscored the Mustangs 7-2 down the stretch for the win.

Both teams made 25 field goals with TMU holding a 6-5 lead in three pointers.  But the difference came at the free throw line with ACU making 20 versus 14 for TMU.

Head Coach Odell Berry said, "We notched our first win ever at The Master's today and we did it by playing tough and smart.  We made big plays and smart decisions to get our 18th win of the season on the road.  It was another great team effort- especially at the defensive end of the court and on the boards.  Congratulations ladies, you earned that win and you are earning respect throughout the GSAC. Now it is time to get ready for Hope International next weekend!"

The Firestorm will not play again until they host Hope International on Saturday at 1:00 pm.  The lone senior on the team- Suzie Castro-Larsen- will be honored before the game.