Brock Gardner scored a career-high 40 points on November 21.
Eight days later, the senior forward went three better, posting a new career-high 43 points as The Master's University defeated The College of Idaho 86-76 Friday evening in Costa Mesa.
"Brock was special tonight," said Mustang head coach
Kelvin Starr. "(He) took over the game."
The victory kept the No. 2 Mustangs undefeated through the season's first seven games and marked Starr's 90
th victory (90-14) at TMU.
The Mustangs trailed only once in the game (14-12) but a three-point play by Gardner with 10:03 left in the first half erased the deficit and fueled a 10-0 run in a 3:28 window.
Gardner scored the first eight points of that burst and finished the half with 18 as the Mustangs led at the break 35-28.
Gardner's 7-14 mark from the field, including 2-3 from behind the arc, in the opening stanza was solid.
He was even more prolific in the second half.
Connecting on seven of his 10 shots, including 3-5 from long distance, Gardner poured in 25 points in the final period.
He scored 10 straight points in a 1:12 span as the Mustangs expanded the advantage to 57-38 with 13:25 left in the game.
Gardner finished 14-24 from the field (5-8 from three-point range) and 10-13 from the line en route to his career-high total.
The Mustangs enjoyed their largest lead of the game, 66-44, when senior guard
Darryl McDowell-White converted a layup with 10:14 left to play.
The Yotes carved into that deficit over the next 4:45, closing to within 69-63 but Gardner countered with five straight points, highlighted by his fifth and final three-pointer of the evening that put the Mustangs up 74-63.
When the Yotes drew within 76-69 with 2:06 left, there was Gardner again, converting two more free throws thirteen seconds later.
A
Jay Turley free throw put the lead back into double figures and the Mustangs weren't threatened again.
Starr said, "Got some good plays from Jeremiah Turley also."
With seven non-conference victories behind them, the Mustangs now turn their attention to Golden State Athletic Conference play that starts next Thursday (Dec. 5) evening at Arizona Christian at 6:30 p.m. (PST).
