Ryan Beddeo's three-point play with 5.5 seconds remaining in overtime gave TMU Men's Basketball a thrilling victory over visiting Westmont College on Saturday night inside The MacArthur Center.
"I'm really happy for Ryan. What a memory that is for him as a senior," Master's Head Coach
Kelvin Starr said. "I thought Ryan's leadership was a huge key. He was locked in on defense all night and came up huge on offense in OT."
After a Westmont free throw extended the Warriors' lead to two with 14 seconds left in overtime, Beddeo was the primary ball handler and ultimately drove left before finishing through contact.
The senior guard sank the subsequent free throw to put TMU ahead, before the Mustangs were able to prevent the visitors from getting a final shot off, preserving their third-straight victory.
Master's only had the chance to win in overtime after a similarly clutch bucket in the final moments of the second half.
With TMU trailing by two points,
Caden Starr's reverse layup with two seconds remaining in the second half forced overtime.
"So many big plays down the stretch by Caden, Kaleb (Lowery) and Ryan,"
Kelvin Starr said.
When the two teams last played on Nov. 20, it was Master's who led for most of the game until Westmont took a late lead to win. This time around, TMU returned the favor.
The Warriors led for the large majority of the night, but the Mustangs were able to stay within striking distance.
After Westmont led by as many as 12 in the first half,
Gavin DeJong's tip-in beat the buzzer to bring TMU to within three points, making it a one-possession game going into the second period.
A
Kaleb Lowery 3-pointer with 6:44 remaining in the second half then gave TMU its first lead since 4-2 at the 18:47 mark in the opening period.
A triple by Beddeo later tied the game, before a
DJ Wilson 3-pointer put the Mustangs up by one. Westmont then regained its lead late, setting up the stage for the heroics of
Caden Starr and Beddeo.
"I'm not sure how we won that game,"
Kelvin Starr said. "What an epic rivalry game. It was back-and-forth all second half and overtime."
Lowery led all players with 26 points, while his 10 rebounds gave him a double-double along with DeJong (13 points, 13 boards). Wilson also scored in double figures with 15, hitting three triples on the night.
Master's (15-7 overall, 5-7 GSAC) returns to Golden State Athletic Conference play on Thursday with an away game at No. 17 Hope International University. Tip-off in Fullerton is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
