It's become something of a tradition.
The Mustangs schedule a tough NCAA Division 2 opponent early in the season, and The Master's University works collectively to produce a multi-faceted fan experience surrounding the game. Â
Thursday's exhibition against Concordia University Irvine featured a live band, the grand opening of an on-campus coffee shop and, as always, a charged crowd.
"You can't ask for a better atmosphere than that," said forward
Brock Gardner. "I personally had chills the entire game hearing the crowd. I felt like I was going deaf every time we got a bucket. It felt like the building was shaking." Â
That the Mustangs lost 67-63 to the Eagles was secondary to the fact that Master's flashed the potential one would expect of a team preparing to defend back-to-back Golden State Athletic Conference championships.
Master's mitigated a tough shooting night by playing energized team defense and crashing the boards. The Mustangs trailed by as many as 11 in the first half and finally climbed into 60-all tie with 3:16 remaining in the game. But by the one-minute mark, Concordia was back in front by four and the Mustangs never drew even again.
"I'm encouraged because we played a really, really good team," said TMU coach
Kelvin Starr. "I think we'll both be at the top of our conference at the end of the year. I feel we got down too much early, but we found a way to get back into the game."
The contest pitted the Mustangs against a former GSAC member, Concordia having switched to NCAA Division 2 several years ago while still maintaining a yearly exhibition with TMU.
Master's won the matchup the last two years, but Thursday the Eagles used high-pressure defense to slow down a Mustang team that averaged 90 points per game last year. Master's shot 35% from the field and 9% from three.
The Mustangs stayed within striking defense because of their own energized defense, holding the Eagles to an equally poor shooting night and narrowly winning the battle on the boards.
Tim Soares finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Gardner had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, and newcomer
Sam Boone led Master's in scoring with 16 points. For a stretch in the first half, Boone carried the Mustangs offensively, and his toughness was critical against a physical Eagles team all evening.
With the Mustangs trailing 60-58 late in the second half, Gardner scored a difficult bucket in transition. The crowd was allowed to soak up the moment as Concordia called timeout and Gardner's teammates rushed to him.
"It felt like it gave us hope," Gardner said, "because the whole game we were down and we were clawing back and we finally tied the game. Obviously it wasn't enough."
Soares felt the Mustangs allowed Concordia's pressure to take Master's out of its offense system, but he was proud of his teammates work on defense.
"I definitely think everybody was locked in doing a good job of helping each other out," Soares said. Â
Starr said he was encouraged by how the Mustangs responded to another challenging season-opener.
"That's why we do these games," he said.
Â
