TMU Insider: Fall sports winding down, basketball gearing up

TMU's Morgan Pedrick runs in The Mustang Challenge. She finished sixth in the race last month. Photo courtesy TMU Athletics
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Last week, the majority of The Master’s University’s fall sports teams began to wind down their regular season schedules, while TMU’s men’s basketball team started their season with a pair of NCAA exhibitions…

Cross Country

Based on outstanding performances in October, The Master’s University’s Morgan Pedrick has been named the Golden State Athletic Conference’s Female Cross Country Runner of the Month.

On October 1, Pedrick led the sixth-ranked Mustangs at The Mustang Challenge 5K by placing fourth with a time of 17:58. Collectively, TMU finished fourth out of a field of 13 teams at 1 hour, 34 minutes and 01.3 seconds.

In the women’s 5K race at the Titan Invitational on October 21, Pedrick finished in sixth-place with a time of 17:54. Pedrick’s performance helped secure a second-place team finish for the Mustangs as TMU clocked a final time of 1:32:29.78.

Now, Pedrick and the Mustangs look to Saturday when they will compete at the 2016 GSAC Championship, hosted by William Jessup University, in Rocklin. Last year, TMU finished second out of nine teams at the conference championship with a final time of 1:34:34.38. The women’s 5k race will start at 9 a.m.

Also on Saturday, TMU’s men’s cross country team will compete at the GSAC Championship. The 12th-ranked Mustangs look to secure its seventh-straight conference title. This year’s men’s 8k race will start at 10 a.m.

Men’s Basketball

Playing with mid-season intensity for a new coaching staff in front of a frenzied crowd, The Master’s University men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with NCAA Division 2 Azusa Pacific before falling 90-85 Thursday evening on Bross Court.

The Mustangs, who turned 22 Cougar turnovers into 27 points, wound up shooting 46.5% (33-71) from the field while APU hit at a 58% (29-50) clip.

TMU’s Delewis Johnson and Reid Shackelford led five Mustangs in double figures with 17 points apiece while Lawrence Russell was impressive in his Mustang debut, notching a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and handing out a game-high five assists. Hansel Atencia chipped in with 15 points and Tim Soares tacked on 10 more.

On Saturday, TMU was handed a 110-86 exhibition loss to NCAA Division 1 Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah.

Johnson’s 28 points paced the Mustangs as he went 10-13 from the field. Atenica and Shackelford finished with 16 points apiece. Lawrence Russell was the only other Mustang in double figures, tacking on 10 points.

TMU’s Evan Jenkins came off the bench with a strong performance, dishing out a game-high nine assists while sharing game-high honors with 10 rebounds.

This week, the Mustangs open the regular season on Friday evening at the West Coast Baptist Tournament but before they do, they have another high-profile exhibition left against UCLA on Tuesday. The Mustangs and the Bruins tip it off at 7:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Women’s Soccer

Last Tuesday, The Master’s University women’s soccer team battled No. 11 Westmont College to a 1-1 double overtime draw.

But on Saturday, TMU fell to No. 9 Vanguard University 2-1 in its 2016 regular season finale. Last week’s results moved the Mustangs’ record to 8-6-4 (4-4-2 GSAC).

Because Hope International University beat Menlo College 1-0 in Atherton on Saturday, the Mustangs earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming GSAC Soccer Tournament. This Friday, TMU will host the HIU Royals at 2:00 p.m.

The fifth-seeded Royals enter next Friday’s with an overall record of 9-6-2 and conference record of 4-5-1. The last time the two teams met was on Oct. 11, and resulted with a 2-1 victory for the Mustangs.

Men’s Soccer

The Master’s University men’s soccer team posted two goals in the second half of last Wednesday’s match against Westmont College, but couldn’t rally past the Warriors, resulting in a 3-2 loss.

On Saturday, TMU fell to Vanguard 1-0 in Costa Mesa, moving the Mustangs’ 2016 record to 10-6-2 and 5-4-1 in GSAC play.

This Saturday at 2 p.m., the fifth-seeded Mustangs will compete in the GSAC Tournament and will play the fourth-seeded HIU Royals in Fullerton.

Volleyball

Last Tuesday, The Master’s University volleyball team posted an impressive three-set victory (25-22, 25-23, 25-10) over Vanguard University on Bross Court.

TMU’s Kayla Sims tallied 31 assists and nine digs against the Lions. Allison Child paced the Mustangs with 11 kills while Aubrey Pyburn claimed 10. As a team, TMU earned 43 kills, 42 assists, 41 digs, a .340 attack percentage and two total team blocks.

On Saturday, TMU fell in three sets (18-25,19-25, 24-26) to the 19th-ranked Biola Eagles in La Mirada.

With the loss, TMU’s overall record moved to 19-10 and 11-3 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. Saturday’s result dropped TMU to third-place in the GSAC standings behind Biola (21-9, 11-3) and No. 1 Westmont College (29-0, 14-0).

Sims posted 23 assists, Emily Clark earned 15 digs, Pyburn led the Mustangs with 11 kills, and Maryah Richberg tallied five blocks.

Collectively, TMU claimed 44 digs, 30 kills, 30 assists, eight total team blocks, and a .075 attack percentage.

On Friday at 7 p.m., TMU welcomes Westmont College, the NAIA’s top-ranked team, to Bross Court. The last time the two teams met, Westmont beat TMU in three sets.

Golf

Last Tuesday, The Master’s University golf team wrapped up its time at the CSUSM Fall Classic by placing 12th out of a field of 17 teams with a collective score of 935 (308-300-327).

Joseph Downey led the 19th-ranked Mustangs by finishing with a final score of 226 (76-73-77), tying for 13th overall. Josh Delo finished close behind Downey by tying for 17th after carding a final score of 227 (79-74-74).

Now, the Mustangs will enjoy a lengthy break before competing again in February. From February 20-21, TMU will compete at the Arizona Christian University Spring Invitational on the greens of Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Ariz.

For more information about The Master’s University Athletics, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @TMUAthletics.

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