No. 2 Master's drops road game at William Jessup

As Darryl McDowell-White dribbled around a Tim Soares screen, he found a clear path both to the basket and, it seemed, to overtime.

The Master's University men's basketball team had trailed by as many as 15 points Thursday in Rocklin, but McDowell-White's unobstructed drive and finger roll with nine seconds remaining tied the score and capped the Mustangs' most impressive rally of the season.

Unfortunately, William Jessup answered with a swift counterpunch.

Mustang Jordan Starr blocked Isaiah Milan's three-point attempt, but as the ball fell just short of the rim, Austin Dill was there to put it in at the buzzer.

Master's lost 82-80 to William Jessup, snapping a three-game winning streak and dropping the Mustangs into second place in Golden State Athletic Conference standings.

The No.-2 ranked Mustangs (14-2, 4-1 GSAC) are one game back of No. 11 Westmont College, and will look to rebound Saturday in Atherton against Menlo at 2:30 p.m.

Soares led Master's with 27 points and nine rebounds. His three-pointer midway through the second half sparked a 10-0 run that vaulted the Mustangs back into the game after they'd fallen behind by 15. Master's held the Warriors scoreless for nearly four minutes during the run, using improved ball-screen defense to climb most of the way back. But Jessup (11-5, 3-1) held on for its second home win over the Mustangs in as many seasons.

On the final sequence, Dill caught Milan's miss in midair and banked it in off the backboard - with his back to the basket.

"Defensively we were very poor in the first half and dug ourselves a hole," said Master's head coach Kelvin Starr, whose team trailed 48-45 at the break. "I thought down the stretch we did some really good things, executed better, played better defense, executed in the half court. I think the game will pay dividends down the road, being in a close game and having to make plays down the stretch."

McDowell-White scored 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, and Brock Gardner added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Jordan Starr added seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Mustangs. He said he was confident Master's wouldn't dwell on the defeat.

"I have no doubt we'll come out ready to play on Saturday," Starr said.

Luis Medearis led Jessup with 26 points. He scored 15 in the first half to help the Warriors erase a 10-point deficit and head into intermission ahead by three.   

Soares carried the Mustangs in both halves. He had 14 in the first half and made 10-of-17 shots overall. He was 2-for-6 on threes.

"I was trying to be physical and get the ball inside," Soares said. "I was trying to get their team in foul trouble."