Fifth-ranked Firestorm edge Mustangs in thriller

Kaleb Lowery hit a 3-pointer to tie the game against fifth-ranked Arizona Christian with three seconds left, but the Firestorm drew a foul a second later and made both free throws to squeak out a 79-77 road win over The Master's University on Saturday afternoon inside The MacArthur Center.
 
"It's disappointing to lose after the guys battled so hard in a big game, especially with what was at stake," Master's head coach Kelvin Starr said, referencing the signature win TMU was hoping to add to its resume for a potential at-large berth into the NAIA National Tournament.
 
"Overall, I'm super proud of the team because we didn't know what to expect coming into this weekend against a top team like ACU. We found out that our team has a lot of character and plays hard."
 
Ryan Beddeo (eight points) went toe-to-toe with ACU's De'Ron Kyle in the early going, but TMU did not have much of an answer for the Firestorm All-American, who led all scorers with 13 points in the first half and 23 for the game.
 
The game seemed to be getting away from Master's, as Arizona Christian extended its lead to 11 with 1:57 left in the first half. But a 6-0 run, capped by Lowery beating the first-half buzzer with a layup, cut TMU's halftime deficit to just five, 31-26.
 
The Mustangs continued their surge after the break, with Davian Brown and Gavin DeJong combining for 17 points in the first six minutes of the second half, as TMU raced ahead by 10 points.
 
"Davian hit some big shots and Gavin was loading the low block," Kelvin Starr said. "He produced until they double-teamed him. It was good to be able to execute and score in the half court."
 
However, the Firestorm flipped the switch to go up by seven with just over five minutes left in regulation. A few key turnovers resulted in easy buckets for the Firestorm, which came back to haunt the Mustangs.
 
"Those turnovers led to six points," Kelvin Starr said, citing three specific plays. "In a GSAC game against the No. 5 team in the country, you can't have those."
 
TMU did not give up though, hitting a couple big 3-pointers with under 30 seconds remaining to keep the Mustangs in the game. Jay Turley (eight points) knocked the first one down, and then after two Firestorm free throws, Lowery hit a triple of his own to tie the game with three seconds to play.
 
"We showed resilience down the stretch with big shots from JT (Turley) and Kaleb and the right decisions from Gavin (DeJong) and Caden (Starr)," Kelvin Starr said. "The 3 was taken away from Caden, but he had the poise to drive and then kick to Kaleb. That was a big play, especially for two freshmen connecting. Then Gavin got double-teamed in the post and then kicked it out to JT for 3. We did some really good things, which are encouraging."
 
Unfortunately for Master's, a blocking foul was called on the Mustangs as the Firestorm attempted to run the length of the floor and get a shot off. Already in the double-bonus, ACU sunk both ensuing free throws to all but ice the game.
 
Arizona Christian (24-2 overall, 10-0 GSAC) won both matchups this weekend by a combined seven points.
 
"We 100% proved we are capable of competing at the highest level," Kelvin Starr said. "We showed a lot of resilience and except for one stretch in the second half, we controlled the game pretty well."
 
Kelvin Starr wanted his team to play more physically on Saturday after ACU outrebounded TMU on Friday night, 53-28. The Mustangs responded, edging the Firestorm in rebounds, 38-37, and in points in the paint, 42-34.
 
"Everything except the free throws again," Kelvin Starr said on what his team improved from its narrow loss to ACU on Friday. "That was the difference in the game. In the second half, we shot the ball unbelievably well (66.7%) and high from 3 (58.3%) as well. Giving up over 30 free throws again and winning most other statistical categories is hard."
 
DeJong led the Mustangs with 18 points and six rebounds, while Davian Brown (14 points) and Lowery (13 points) also scored in double figures. Caden Starr added nine points and six boards.
 
"Gavin DeJong showed again tonight what he can do," Kelvin Starr said. "I thought he was really impressive on both ends of the floor. Gavin Lloyd (six points, six rebounds) too had moments in the first half on the offensive glass. He played well all weekend, it just so happened that Gavin DeJong played so well that he didn't get to play as much today."
 
Master's finishes the regular season 17-5 overall and 5-5 in the GSAC. Starr is excited for what the future holds for his Mustangs.
 
"They really came together and the result wasn't there, but the process was fantastic," Kelvin Starr said. "I love the way they competed. They played so hard, particularly defensively. We were awesome defensively all weekend.
 
"We just need to clean up a few things and learn how to win those close GSAC games. To win the GSAC, you have to win close ones. It seems like every year in the GSAC it comes down to close games and the teams that execute and make plays down the stretch usually end up at the top of the conference."