For the second-straight day, The Master's University men's basketball team had a starting freshman set a career-high in points scored. For the second-straight day, TMU fell short against William Jessup University in Golden State Athletic Conference action, this time by a score of 76-58.
Kaleb Lowery (23 points, 10 rebounds) recorded his third double-double of the season to lead the Mustangs, but otherwise the team's offense stalled in defeat on Saturday inside The MacArthur Center. Master's shot 35.2% overall and 17.6% from 3-point range, dropping to 9-3 overall and 1-3 in GSAC play.
"Kaleb was relentless going downhill," Master's head coach
Kelvin Starr said of his 6-foot-8 freshman. "He played as physical as he can. He competed."
William Jessup (7-2, 4-0) began the game on a 7-0 run, shooting 58.1% from the field in the first half to take a 40-27 halftime lead.
Davian Brown, a night removed from setting a career-high with 28 points, scored all 12 of his points in the second half. After conceding 12 3-pointers on Friday, the Mustangs limited the Warriors to just four on Saturday, including zero in the second half.
"I was proud of how we competed in the second half," Starr said. "I felt like defensively we had a good five-or-six-minute stretch that we got a lot of stops in a row, up to about eight minutes to go. Then they got the and-one, which was really for me the backbreaker.
"But the fact we got back into it, after being down 18, is a good sign. I think that's a credit to the younger guys for grinding and giving everything. They competed and that's a good characteristic to carry into the future. The motor, you can't teach. I was proud of that."
The team's response has Starr confident in his team's ability to bounce back from its two-game losing streak.
"I'm encouraged by the group," Starr said. "We stayed together and didn't turn south. There wasn't any attitude, so I'm excited about the next two weeks. If we trust the process over the next two weeks and get a little healthier and a little better, then we can turn this thing back around. The Lord always teaches you things in everything you do, so we'll learn."
The Mustangs are scheduled to return to Bross Court on Tuesday against West Coast Baptist College at 7:30 p.m., before resuming GSAC action on Thursday at Life Pacific.
"It's going to be a grind, but we'll continue to build our culture," Starr said. "There's a long-term plan in mind and we'll see if we can get better."
