NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BRACKET

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Taking down the NAIA Player of the Year and a freshman star was a task too tall, literally, for the Southern Oregon University women's basketball team Saturday night in the NAIA National Tournament's Round of 32.

SOU's bid for a second straight upset fell short as seventh-ranked The Master's (Calif.), the No. 2 seed in the Cramer Quadrant, outscored the No. 10-seeded Raiders by 17 points in the second half en route to a 66-53 victory at the MacArthur Center.

Stephanie Soares, a 6-foot-6 junior from Brazil who received the NAIA's top honor in 2020, poured in 22 points, 18 rebounds and three blocked shots. Ella Brubaker, a 6-foot freshman guard, shot 9-of-16 to record 26 points and five rebounds. The duo helped TMU outscore the Raiders 44-20 in the paint, outrebound them 15-6 on the offensive glass, and ultimately lead them to the end of the road.

The Raiders finished up with a 29-6 record, matching the second-highest win total in team history.

They took a 25-21 lead into halftime on the back of Dominique Harding, who shot 3-of-3 from 3-point range while they built the advantage. Harding scored nine points and collected four rebounds. Brianna Phiakhamngon had 12 points, three assists and three steals, and Kami Walk went for 12 points and five boards.

The well went dry for the Raiders in the second half, where they shot 31 percent and misfired on 10 of 11 attempts from downtown.

Brubaker and Soares combined for 18 points in the third quarter, which the Mustangs finished on a 10-2 run to go up 41-35. They combined for 17 more in the fourth to put the Raiders away.

The Mustangs (31-3 overall) advanced to play No. 3 seed Indiana Wesleyan on March 18 in Sioux City, Iowa, the final site for the last 16 teams standing.

Syd'Nee Fryer contributed seven points and five rebounds for the Raiders.

The game was the last for four Raider seniors: Fryer, Harding, Mallory Heard and Kenadee Honaker. During their four seasons on the roster, the Raiders won 90 games and qualified for three national tournaments.