Master's overcomes double-digit deficit to defeat NCAA DII CUI

TMU Men's Basketball overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Concordia University Irvine on the road, 79-76, for its second exhibition victory over an NCAA Division II team so far this season.
 
"Big comeback win on the road," Master's Head Coach Kelvin Starr. "I have a ton of respect for Coach Ken Ammann and the program he has built at Concordia. To come back from being down double digits in the second half is a great character builder for us."
 
The Eagles scored the first nine points of the game, leading by as many as 15 in the first half before taking a 10-point advantage into halftime. CUI extended its halftime lead to 13 with 17:24 to play, before TMU began to slowly crawl its way back.
 
A 14-3 Mustang run between 14:10 and 8:26 on the clock in the second half, capped by a Davian Brown free throw, gave Master's its first lead of the game. Concordia retook the lead for a few minutes, before a Kaleb Lowery dunk restored TMU's advantage for good.
 
A Lowery bucket with under a minute to play gave the Mustangs their largest lead, six points. An Eagle 3-pointer then made it a one-possession game. Lowery and Brown each split a pair of free throws on successive possessions, with CUI hitting two foul shots in between, setting up for a dramatic finish.
 
TMU clamped down defensively to prevent a game-tying 3-pointer to fall before the final buzzer sounded, as Master's came away with an impressive come-from-behind victory.
 
Brown continued his hot start to the season with 25 points and eight rebounds. Caden Starr added 19 points and six boards, while Lowery returned from a brief injury absence with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Starr made it four Mustang starters in double figures, scoring 12 points while contributing seven assists and six boards.
 
Master's (3-0 overall) hopes to make it three wins from three against NCAA Division II competition when the Mustangs take on Biola University on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be played on a neutral court at CUI, drawing a conclusion to the Conference Challenge.