The Master's University men's basketball squad put together a strong second-half performance to defeat the Embry-Riddle Eagles 74-62 in Prescott, Ariz. on Wednesday. The win moved the No. 8 Mustangs into first place in the GSAC standings and was their third straight victory.
The Mustangs started strong out of the gate, building leads of 8-2 and 10-4, thanks to the shooting of
Kendall Moore. The lead grew as large as nine with 10:11 remaining before halftime, but Embry-Riddle closed the gap down to four at the intermission, only trailing by a score of 36-32.
Moore led TMU in the first half, with 11 points on 4-8 shooting. The Mustang defense was on point as well, forcing seven first half turnovers and holding the Eagles to a paltry 3-12 shooting behind the arc in the first half.
Coming out of the break, TMU built the lead up to 10 points with 16:03 remaining, as reigning GSAC Player of the Year
Kaleb Lowery started to catch fire. Despite only having five points in the first half, Lowery finished the contest with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Lowery finished 6 of 9 shooting and a perfect 5 for 5 from the free throw line. TMU kept Emby-Riddle at bay the rest of the game, coasting to a 12-point win.
"One of our emphases in the second half was to get downhill a little more," TMU Head Coach Kelvin Starr said. "We did a great job of that. We had some good shot-making as well in the second half."
Lowery wasn't without help, as three other Mustangs reached double figures to shut the door on the Eagles. Moore scored 14, freshman
Quincy Phillips added 11 and
Caden Starr had 11 on an efficient 4 of 7 shooting. TMU shot 48.3% (27-56) from the field and held Embry-Riddle to just 40.8% shooting.
The Mustangs won the rebounding battle 36-31 and were an efficient 13-16 from the free throw line. However, Embry Riddle was plagued with self-inflicted wounds, with 13 turnovers and 10 misses from the charity stripe.
TMU is coming down the home stretch of their conference slate, with only two games remaining. The Mustangs travel to Life Pacific before No. 20 Hope International will come to the MacArthur Center on Feb. 20, looking to claim the GSAC title.
"We have a chance to either be the 1-seed or the 3-seed, so it's a pretty big swing," Starr said. "It's tough to win this game, dealing with elevation and all. But we're shooting for the 1-seed, and we've got to take it one day at a time."
The Mustangs will play next at Life Pacific University in San Dimas, Calif. on Feb.15. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
