No. 20 Master's uses late run to overtake Vanguard

Knowing already it would be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming GSAC Tournament, The Master's University men's basketball team wanted to end the regular season strong Saturday evening.
 
The Mustangs did just that and added a flourish as they rallied past Vanguard, 79-71, in Costa Mesa.
 
"I love the way we defended down the stretch," said TMU head coach Kelvin Starr.  "Being down four with two and a half minutes to go on the road and coming back to win is a big boost for us heading into the postseason."
 
The Mustangs finished the regular season 13-5 in conference play and 23-7 overall. They will play sixth-seeded Hope International in the quarterfinals of the GSAC Tournament on Thursday. The game will start at 5:30 p.m. at Westmont. 
 
Saturday, senior forward Brock Gardner led all scorers with 28 points. 
 
Center Tim Soares tossed in 20 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the ninth double-double of his senior year.
 
Junior guard DJ Wilson came off the bench and produced his fifth straight strong outing, scoring 11 points, highlighted by a 3-for-6 performance from behind the arc.
 
His last three of the evening with 2:33 left to play ignited a game-closing 13-1 run that turned a four-point deficit (70-66) into the eight-point victory.
 
Wilson has averaged 10.6 points over the past five games and has drained 12 three-pointers (21 attempts) in that window.
 
Senior Darryl McDowell-White's layup with 1:49 put the Mustangs ahead for good, 71-70.
 
He, along with Soares and Gardner, hit two free throws apiece without a miss in the final 23 seconds to create some separation.
  
The Mustangs trailed by as many as 12 points (28-16) in the first half before a Wilson three-pointer sparked a 15-2 run that Gardner capped with a three for a 31-30 lead with 3:30 left in the first half.
 
Gardner had 16 points in the first half.
 
Later, the Lions countered with a half-closing 9-4 burst and led 39-35 at the break.
 
In a second half that featured 13 lead changes, both clubs held leads of no more than four points until the Mustangs' decisive, finishing charge.  
 
When the Mustangs take on Hope International on Thursday, they'll be in search of a fourth consecutive GSAC Tournament championship.
 
The Mustangs beat the Royals in both of the teams' two meetings this season. 
 
"We had multiple guys step up tonight," said Starr.  "It was a complete team effort with contributions across the board."