Men's basketball rallies from 17 down to beat Jessup

Master's senior Tim Soares left the floor and extended his 6-foot-11 frame to block Luis Medearis' shot. Soares then showed the lithe body control of a much smaller man, retrieving the ball and leaning over the end line as he saved it to teammate Jordan Starr.

Starr sprinted the other way and finished at the rim to give the Mustangs a lead for the first time in nearly 37 minutes of game time.

The sequence was only one of a handful of highlights packed into the final minute of a game the Mustangs desperately needed to win, but it might have said the most about the way in which Master's escaped with an 80-77 victory over William Jessup on Saturday. The Mustangs made timely defensive stops, and Soares and Starr were at their very best.

The No. 12-ranked Mustangs improved to 18-6 overall and 8-5 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, moving into a tie with No. 21 Jessup (16-9, 8-5) for fourth place.  

To get there, Master's had to climb out of a 17-point deficit in the second half and survive the kind of dramatic ending that has not been kind to them. Before Saturday, Master's had lost on two buzzer-beaters, one at William Jessup last month.

So, it was not encouraging that Medearis answered Starr's go-ahead layup moments later, burying an open three-pointer to swing the advantage back to Jessup by one with 41 seconds to go.

But Starr returned the favor. The 6-7 guard drove into the paint on TMU's next possession and tossed the ball in with 22 seconds left to put Master's back ahead.

From there, two defensive stops and a pair of Soares free throws put the bow on a win that shifted TMU's season back in the right direction after three-straight home losses.

🎥 from @mastersuniv MBB's wild win over William Jessup this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/w3R1WWHZda

— Master's Athletics (@TMUAthletics) February 9, 2020

"If we wouldn't have won today, we might not have put ourselves in position to go to nationals," Soares said.

Soares and Starr combined to score TMU's final 13 points. And Soares recorded game highs of 31 points and 16 rebounds. He blocked five shots in the second half, two in the final 60 seconds. "Tim was a monster today," said Master's coach Kelvin Starr.

Jordan Starr finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He displayed a cold-blooded confidence down the stretch that belied his status as a sophomore.  

With the Mustangs down two and 1:24 on the clock, Starr dribbled around a Soares screen and fed a bounce pass to the rolling big man. Soares finished the play with an emphatic dunk, sending an energetic crowd into an uproar. The game's ending left Kelvin Starr feeling pleased with his team's resolve and with Jordan's poise.  

"He was awesome," Kelvin Starr said of Jordan. "He was unbelievable tonight."

The Warriors' three-point shooting nearly knocked Master's completely out of the game. Jessup made 15-of-31 three-pointers, becoming the ninth opponent in 10 games to make double digit threes against TMU. Jessup led 40-29 at halftime.

Austin Dill led the Warriors with 20 points, and Jessup's bench contributed another 20 to help the visitors pull ahead 52-35 with 15:39 remaining.  

The Mustangs responded by outscoring Jessup 45-25 the rest of the game. DJ Wilson hit a clutch corner three with 4:40 remaining to bring the Mustangs within four, and Soares and Starr did the heavy lifting at closing time.

Master's forward Sam Boone provided crucial energy. Boone chipped in six points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Darryl McDowell-White scored 10 points, all in the second half. And Brock Gardner added eight points, six rebounds and three assists.