Tuesday's 74-69 win over the University of Calgary said something about the way The Master's University men's basketball team is constructed.
The Mustangs boast a trio of veteran All-American types with a strong supporting cast that features young guards hoping to find their footing at the collegiate level and make their mark.
Freshman
Jay Turley helped keep the Mustangs in the game early Tuesday, the final day of the Tom Byron Classic at Westmont. And the combination of seniors
Darryl McDowell-White,
Brock Gardner and
Tim Soares carried Master's down the stretch.
McDowell-White finished with a game-high 19 points, 13 of which came after halftime. While Gardner added 16 points and Soares had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Turley had season highs of 11 points and three assists. He scored eight points in the first half when Master's overcame an early deficit to forge a tie at the break. Thanks to a McDowell-White scoring spree, the Mustangs built a 14-point lead midway through the second period, but a seasoned and physical Calgary squad played valiantly, eventually cutting the deficit to two with 40 seconds remaining.
That's when Gardner secured a loose ball under the basket and scored the game-sealing hook shot. And McDowell-White and sophomore
Jordan Starr combined for a defensive stop at the other end.
The Mustangs will return to Golden State Athletic Conference play Saturday when they host No. 15 Hope International at 7:30 p.m, and coach
Kelvin Starr hopes his team – a strong mixture of experience and youth – continues to play with the defensive intensity it showed against Calgary (8-2).
"When you hold an opponent to 33% from inside the arc and 29% on threes and you out-rebound them, you have a good chance of winning the game," Starr said. "The championship effort was there though, which is key."
Starr's three-time defending GSAC tournament champions have once again shown championship mettle this season. After suffering its first loss of the season on Dec. 20, Master's responded with a pair of wins at the Tom Byron Classic this week.
After a commanding win over Park University Gilbert (AZ) on Monday, the Mustangs knew Calgary would present an especially difficult challenge.
"They were an older team," said Soares, who averaged 16.5 points and 12 rebounds at the two-game tournament. "They ran their offense very well and were physical on defense. Their guards shot the ball well, too."
It was a forward, though, who gave Master's trouble in the first half. Brett Layton scored 12 of his 16 points before the break, helping the Dinos build as much as an eight point lead.
Had it not been for Turley, who made two three-pointers in the period, the Mustangs might have fallen further behind. Instead, they pulled into halftime tied, 31-31.
"He was huge," Soares said of Turley. "He was playing his role and was super aggressive the entire game. And the shots he made were big time."
After halftime, the spotlight shifted to McDowell-White and Soares.
McDowell-White, a senior guard from Australia, scored 10 of TMU's first 13 points after the break, hitting two 3-pointers and putting on what
Kelvin Starr described as an "electric" performance.
Soares added seven points during what became a 25-11 run to open the second half, TMU building a 14-point lead with 11 minutes left to play.
"Our offensive execution was better and we got out in transition better in the second half," said
Kelvin Starr. "I felt like we were really good on the defensive end also."
Still, Calgary managed to cut the deficit from 14 to single digits soon after and surged to within two in the final minute.
Looking to answer, McDowell-White drove into the lane and pitched the ball to Soares. But it was deflected into a particularly sure pair of hands.
Gardner, already a two-time GSAC Player of the Week, rose and tossed the ball into the basket to extend the lead back to four.
"I just happened to collapse on the drive and luckily the ball came my direction right outside the key, which left me with an open hook shot," Gardner said. "Thankfully I was able to knock it down."
McDowell-White and Starr hounded Layton at the other end, and Starr was officially credited with a block.
