The Master's men's basketball came from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat Montana Western 74-68 at the Cactus Classic in Chandler, Ariz. Monday.
The defense arrived in a big way in the second half, holding Montana Western to just 26 points after giving up 42 in the first half. And that defense triggered an offense that produced just 30 first-half points, but broke open for 44 in the second.
"We allowed them to get loose from behind the 3-point line in the first half," said Head Coach Kelvin Starr. "In the second half we adjusted and took that shot away. That was the difference in the game. That and we turned the ball over less."
TMU shot just 12-of-28 (43%) and 2-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half, but after the switch was turned on in the locker room at the half, the Mustangs converted 17-of-31 (55%), including 7-of-15 from behind the arc. The defense allowed the Bulldogs to hit 15-of-28 in the first 20 minutes, including 9-of-15 3s, which switched to 9-of-28 and just 1-of-12 from 3-point territory in the second 20.
"We learned today that no matter who you play you've got to be ready to play," Coach Starr said. "And those Frontier teams are good. They are well coached."
The Mustangs jumped out to a 9-2 lead to start the game, but the Bulldogs then rattled off 15 straight points to take a 17-9 lead. TMU pulled to within two before MWU pulled away for the 42-30 halftime lead.
After hitting the first bucket of the second half to make it 44-30, The Master's offense lit a fuse. A
Kamrin Oriol jumper with 8:54 to play gave TMU their first lead since early in the first half. Two minutes later a pair of free throws gave the Bulldogs a tenuous 59-58 lead, but a pair of 3-pointers by
Christian Sweazie and tenacious defense put the Mustangs back on top. TMU hit their free throws in the final moments to clinch the six-point win.
Five different Mustangs scored in double figures, led by
Caden Starr's 16,
Kaleb Lowery with 13,
Kamrin Oriol added 12, 11 apiece for
Jordan Caruso and
Christian Sweazie. Caruso led the team with seven rebounds followed by Lowery's six.
"Kamrin and Caden were solid all day," Starr said. "I just felt like they were aggressive and produced offensively in the second half."
The Master's will play one final game in the Cactus Classic Tuesday as they face Montana State-Northern. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PST.
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