California Baptist University
The Master's
HAHN SOLO
2/19/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. ? California Baptist University lives to fight another day after a late second-half comeback in a 74-70 win at The Masters.
The Lancers (17-10, 9-8) trailed 64-54 with 5:23 left to play, but Brenna Hahn drained three straight treys and Kendra Morris hit a lay up to give the Lancers the lead at 65-64 with 3:09 left to play.
“We just kept running the same play for Brenna in that stretch and she kept knocking the shots down,” said CBU head coach Danelle Bishop. “We ran her off of several screens and that allowed her to get open looks late. Our overall effort, energy and enthusiasm was the main key tonight though.”
The lead changed four more times in the final three minutes of play.
TMC recaptured the lead with a bucket from Jenna Reed, but Nicole Davis answered right back with a jumper to put CBU up 67-66 with 1:56 left. Amanda Durocher and Annie Gillespie each nailed a pair free throws to give the Mustangs a 70-67 lead with 1:13 to play.
Jeanine Deno brought the Lancers within in one with a layup and then hit two ensuing free throws, after a missed TMC three, to put CBU up 71-70 with 18 seconds left. Brenna Hahn then picked up steal with nine seconds left and hit a free throw to go up 72-70. Hahn missed the second free throw, but Alyson Haley came up with an offensive board and was sent to line with six seconds left. The junior transfer put it away by sinking both free throws to give CBU the 74-70 lead.
“As team we just decided to play defense,” said Bishop. “The last three minutes of the game we turned up the defensive pressure. We trapped a few times and we bothered them with our man-to-man defense. We were just in the right situations at the right time. We missed so many layups early that we had to play defense to have a shot like we did late in the game.”
Hahn tied with Davis with a game-high 20 points, but scored 10 of her points in the final five minutes of the game. Hahn also tied a career-high with five assists. Hahn hit all five of her threes in the second half, scoring 18 after intermission.
Jeanine Deno was close behind with 19 points. Heather Couzens also grabbed a game-high eight boards.
CBU turned the ball over just 14 times, matching their season low, and turned it over just five times in the second half. The Lancer defense forced 24 turnovers by the Mustangs, scoring 32 points off of those turnovers.
The Lancers now move ahead of Biola, who hosts Concordia Saturday, by a half a game and trail Azusa Pacific, who hosts Vanguard, by a half game.
