Game Recap By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director

When Darryl McDowell-White said before the season that no one person would be able to slide into the outsized shoes left by first team All-American Lawrence Russell, its hard to imagine he meant this many guys would take up the task.

But six Mustangs scored in double figures in Thursday night’s Golden State Athletic Conference opener against Ottawa University Arizona, a 99-72 TMU victory, and, more impressively, seven Master’s players are averaging at least 10 points a night through the season’s first eight games.

No. 1-ranked Master’s (7-1) won for the seventh straight time Thursday behind 19 points from Hodges Bailey, 16 from Tim Soares, and another impressive showing on defense at Willow Canyon High in Surprise, Arizona.

“I think coming in we thought we were a better team than last year,” Bailey said, “just because of our balance and our ability to get multiple guys into double figures, which wasn’t always the case last year.”

The night served as the Spirit’s introduction to GSAC basketball, Ottawa having joined the conference along with Life Pacific before this season, and the Mustangs got off to a torrid start. TMU led 19-4 after seven minutes and cruised into halftime ahead 49-25.

Jordan Starr contributed 15 points for the Mustangs, and Brock Gardner and Hansel Atencia each added 14.

McDowell-White chipped in 12, hitting a pair of 3-pointers early in the second half to push TMU’s lead to 30 on one of its best shooting nights of the season.

The Mustangs made seven of their first 15 three-point attempts and tossed in 10 from long range for the evening, continuing a trend of better shooting of late.

Master’s also kept up the defensive intensity and focus it has shown for the better part of two weeks now. The Mustangs have held their opponents to an average of 71 points over their last four games — a considerable improvement over the 84.7 they allowed over the season’s first four games.

“Tonight we did what we needed to do,” said coach Kelvin Starr. “We played well defensively, we were disciplined and we were balanced. It was a good night all around.”

Ottawa entered its inaugural GSAC contest having won one of five but featuring one of the GSAC’s highest scorers.

Brian King Jr. came in scoring better than 21 points a game on 51 percent shooting, but the Mustangs held the 6-foot guard to six points on 11 shots.

Dimetres Moore led the Spirit with 21 points, and Tanner Riley followed with 18.

Bailey racked up his 19 points, two short of matching a season high, on 5-of-11 shooting, 3-of-8 from behind the arc.

After averaging less than six points in 13 minutes a game last season as a freshman, Bailey is at 13.6 points, third most on the team, in 23 minutes a night as a sophomore.

“He’s a year more mature,” Kelvin Starr said. “He’s doing what he’s meant to do, starting to make shots for us, and he’s improved defensively. He’s not just a shooter anymore.”

Atencia leads the Mustangs at 16.8 points per game, with Delewis Johnson, Soares, Gardner, McDowell-White and Jordan Starr rounding out those Mustangs putting up double figures this season.

Master’s will now travel to Phoenix to take on Arizona Christian on Saturday in one of its biggest tests to this point.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Kelvin Starr said.