SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - In a tight game against a top-10 team at a place where the opponents are quite familiar, it is often the more experienced players that a team will look to in order to get a victory.

The opposite was true tonight, as a player with all of three games under her belt took control when it was needed the most.

Freshman Taleeah Cross scored a game-high 30 points, including 15 in the final 10-plus minutes, to help the No. 6 Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions hold off No. 10 The Master's (Calif.) College, 79-70, on Friday night at the CHM Hotels Invitational.

Though the game was played on a neutral floor at Westmont (Calif.) College, the Mustangs play on that court on a yearly basis as members of the Golden State Athletic Conference along with Westmont.

Cross keyed a crucial stretch of the game after The Master's (3-2) cut a 12-point FHU lead down to one point with 11:31 to play. After a 3-pointer by Kenley Crowell pushed the lead back to four, Cross went on to score 13 of Freed-Hardeman's next 15 points, enabling the Lady Lions to retake control of the game and rebuild a 12-point lead with 2:15 left.

The Mustangs didn't go quietly, making one final charge with a quick 7-0 run to get within five points with 30 seconds left. Brittany Montgomery, a 78.8 percent career free-throw shooter, was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and calmly made both sides of the double-bonus to stop TMC's run, and Cross would later add two more free throws to close out the game.

FHU (4-0) led by as many as 16 in the first half before taking a 40-31 lead into halftime.

Cross led four Lady Lions in double figures as Hayley Newby posted her fourth straight double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Grace Alonso de Armino (15 points, 11 rebounds) also recorded a double-double, her third in four games, while Montgomery added 13.

Cross was also the first freshman to score 30 points in a game since Hannah Parsley scored 31 against Cumberland (Tenn.) University on Jan. 31, 2009. She is only the sixth freshman to accomplish the feat and the first to do it this early in her first season.

Freed-Hardeman will try to make it five-for-five against nationally ranked opponents to open the season when it faces defending national champion No. 3 Westmont on Saturday at 3:00 CST/1:30 PST.