The play was drawn up in a timeout in order to get the ball to
Darryl McDowell-White as the springy guard sprinted toward the basket. McDowell-White saw a larger opportunity.
"I said, 'Let's run a play to get these fans on their feet,'" The Master's University senior said.
Late in Saturday's second half, McDowell-White made a backdoor cut along the baseline, caught a bounce pass from
Jordan Starr and pirouetted for a reverse slam.
It was one of a number of highlights McDowell-White provided in his first game since returning from injury. He scored a game-high 30 points with three assists and six steals in TMU's 84-67 win over the University of St. Katherine inside the MacArthur Center. It was TMU's 40th straight home win.
"He changes the game," said Starr, who flirted with a triple double with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists, "and it's the little things. Yeah, the 30 points are great. But it's the things you don't see. He's a spark plug. The way he's always there. The energy, the athletic plays he makes. How much he's talking, leading everyone. The intangibles."
The Mustangs (3-0) played with a level of energy, especially on offense, unseen in their two previous games, and in a pair of exhibitions. Master's sprinted up the floor for transition baskets and moved with purpose in the team's half-court sets, finding three-point shots in rhythm.
Tim Soares made his first two three-pointers of the season and finished with 14 points.
Michael Taylor scored eight points, two coming on a posterizing dunk.
McDowell-White, who sat out the first two games due to an injury he suffered over the offseason, admitted to being a little nervous when the time came to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup. Would his shots fall? Would he immediately return to the form that made him a critical member of TMU's rotation a year ago?
Well, his first four shots did not fall. But his next three, all from long distance, did. McDowell-White had 19 points by halftime and by night's end he'd provided more than a few highlight-reel plays.
There was the no-look lob to
Brock Gardner, who finished the play with a one-handed slam. There was the between-the-legs bounce pass to Soares, who buried a jumper.
And, of course, there was the reverse slam. The night was full of entertainment.
"I've got to give Darryl freedom to be creative. He's a creative player," said TMU head coach
Kelvin Starr. "… At the end of the day, the energy he brings is contagious. I thought everybody felt it tonight. I thought they had a lot more joy playing tonight."
