TMU Men's Basketball almost pulls-off upset over fifth-ranked Arizona Christian

The Master's University men's basketball team led for much of the first half against fifth-ranked Arizona Christian University, but the Firestorm came back to defeat the Mustangs, 76-71, inside The MacArthur Center on Friday night.
 
"We played well enough to win for sure, which was encouraging to know we can compete against a team that good, especially with a young crew," Master's head coach Kelvin Starr said. "We won nearly every category of the game except for the physical side on the glass and the free throw line, which is the result of that."
 
TMU shot 44.8% (45.0% 3-pt.) compared to ACU's 36.7% (27.8% 3-pt.), with the Mustangs' bench outscoring the Firestorm's second unit, 30-19. Master's also committed seven fewer turnovers than Arizona Christian, holding a 17-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
"They are a high-scoring offense," Kelvin Starr said of the Firestorm. "We gave up 37 free throws, 19 offensive rebounds and still held them to 76 points. I think we did a pretty good job on the defensive end, apart from the boards. That was really the difference in the game."
 
Arizona Christian outrebounded Master's, 53-28, including 19-5 on the offensive glass. ACU outscored TMU 17-6 in second-chance points, while also shooting 27-37 (73.0%) from the free-throw line, compared to just 10-20 (50.0%) for the Mustangs.
 
 "We missed probably five or six layups at the rim," Kelvin Starr said, highlighting the physicality difference between the two teams on Friday night. "We were changing our shot instead of getting contact and being tough. We have to get a little tougher. If we can do that, we can hang with them."
 
Master's more than hung with Arizona Christian early on, racing out to an early 8-0 lead. However, the visitors scored the next 11 points to go up by three.
 
Gavin Lloyd then scored four-straight baskets to put TMU back ahead by five, but the Firestorm fought back to re-take its advantage. With the game tied at 37-37 with 1:24 remaining the first half, ACU scored the final six points of the period to go into halftime with the lead.
 
"Those two minutes that put us down by six at the half hurt us," Kelvin Starr said. "That's on me. I have to be more courageous to play guys in foul trouble and trust them. GSAC games can get away from you quickly."
 
The visitors stretched out their lead to 10 with 7:44 to play, but Master's battled back to within one after consecutive triples from DJ Wilson and two free throws from Ryan Beddeo. After that, the Mustangs weren't quite able to get over the hump, as the Firestorm held on to take the first game of the teams' back-to-back set.
 
"I was really proud of our guys and how hard they played," Kelvin Starr said. "I'm disappointed in losing, but I'm not disappointed in the process."
 
Gavin DeJong led Master's with 12 points, while Lloyd and Caden Starr each added 11 to the scoring column.
 
"I thought both Gavins played really well," Kelvin Starr said. "They were physical and tough."
 
The two teams return to Bross Court on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for their regular season finale. Arizona Christian had already clinched the Golden State Athletic Conference East title going into this weekend, and with it an automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament. A Master's win tomorrow would boost the Mustangs' resume in hopes of receiving an at-large berth to nationals.
 
"If we can match the intensity level and get a little more physical, a little tougher, I think that's the key," Kelvin Starr said. "I thought we had some good offensive possessions and were intentional offensively, which made them guard us.
 
"We were right there and just weren't quite good enough to get the job done. Credit to them, they're a veteran team. There's a reason they're ranked fifth in the country."