Kaleb Lowery scored 17 points and both Jordan Caruso and Victor Ohia Obioha added 11 points each in their Master's debut as the Mustangs defeated Westcliff Thursday night 83-52 in front of a standing-room-only crowd at The MacArthur Center.
Master's (1-0) dropped 12 three-pointers and shot better than 48% from the field while holding the Warriors to just 31 percent from the field. The Mustang defense allowed just 15 points to be scored in the first half.
"I am really happy with (Thursday night)," said Master's Head Coach Kelvin Starr. "With ten new guys it was a solid first outing. We have worked hard on the defensive end and it showed."
The Mustangs return just five players from last year's squad, so the task has been to reload and refill during the off-season. Several transfers and quality freshman make up the ten new players to the team. And based on the crowd's reaction to the exciting play, fans will be in for a treat throughout the season.
"I love out team's camaraderie," Starr said. "The bench was engaged all night. It is a great sign when a team embraces each other's success."
Lowery continued to show he is one of the GSAC's best players, grabbing his first double-double of the season. The 6-8 sophomore forward added 14 rebounds to his 17 points, shooting 7 of 11 from the field, with four assists, a block and a steal.
Ohia Obioha, a 6-10 transfer from Pepperdine, showed he can shoot the three knocking down 3 of 4 he shot from behind the arc. Caruso went 5 of 8 from the field in his Mustang debut, with veteran Caden Starr hitting three of his seven three-pointers.
Thirteen players got on the court and contributed to the final stat line, with many drawing loud cheers from the fanatics in the crowd.
Master's men's basketball will be back in action Friday night when they host the West Coast Baptist Eagles in The MacArthur Center. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.
