Game Recap By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director

The idea had occurred to Jordan Starr on more than one occasion.

In high school, he’d even used the move in a game, settling for a layup as the payoff for his savvy.

This time, when Starr took the ball out of bounds and tossed it off the back of an unsuspecting defender, the 6-foot-7 freshman caught the ricochet and rose for a two-handed dunk.

The play was one of several highlights in the second half of No. 5 TMU’s 100-86 win over No. 21 Arizona Christian on Thursday, and it said something about the way the Mustangs did it: For the second time this season against ACU, TMU came from behind.

The Mustangs (18-3, 7-2 GSAC) trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, weathered a seesaw second period and pulled away late for their 33rd straight home win.

Tim Soares led Master’s with 27 points in another dynamic, efficient performance.

Saturday, he scored a season-high 32 points on 11-of-12 shooting against Life Pacific.

Thursday, he scored 16 early points, the last two spotting the Mustangs a 22-20 lead.

Most of those early buckets came from well outside the paint, Soares showcasing a smooth, confident jumper. “They were playing tight on the inside,” said Soares. “So I had to let it fly.”

Arizona Christian (17-4, 5-4) was just getting started, though. The Firestorm entered the game as NAIA Division 1’s second highest scoring offense and would finish the night shooting better than 50% from the field and from three.

After Soares’ bucket, ACU scored the game’s next 13 points, building a 33-22 lead reminiscent of the teams’ first meeting on Dec. 1.

Back then, TMU fell behind by 11 at intermission before outscoring its host by 18 over the day’s final 20 minutes and coming away with a 100-93 win.

Thursday, the Mustangs again showed a veteran’s poise.

Master’s whittled away the deficit and pulled ahead 46-44 at the break.

The teams traded leads eight times in the second half, but Soares’ offensive rebound – one of 12 in the game for TMU – and dunk at the 5:47 mark gave Master’s the lead for good at 84-83.

Three minutes later, the Mustangs were ahead by nine.

Point guard Hansel Atencia attributed the surge to the group’s willingness to share the ball – and the glory.

“We were just having fun,” said Atencia, who scored 21 points with nine assists and just one turnover.

Atencia’s turnaround jumper with 1:12 left gave TMU a 10-point lead, all but sealing the team’s seventh straight win over the Firestorm.

In GSAC standings, the Mustangs remain one game behind first-place Vanguard, which beat San Diego Christian in overtime on Thursday.

Master’s will host Ottawa University Arizona on Saturday after surviving an electrifying performance by ACU’s Terence Shelby Jr.

Shelby Jr. made 7-of-12 three points shots, 4-of-7 after halftime, and finished with a game-high 31 points.

The Mustangs did a solid job on the Firestorm’s other two stars, throwing a revolving door of defenders at the GSAC’s leading scorer, Callum Lawson (15 points, five after halftime), and limiting point guard Shane Carney to five points after the break.

Starr hit three of the five three-pointers he attempted after halftime, finishing with a career high 19 points.

“We want him taking those shots because he’s making them,” said Atencia. “He’s been big time as a freshman.”

TMU’s Delewis Johnson scored 15 points and Brock Gardner scored 10 of his 12 points after halftime.

Gardner came up with a pair of offensive rebounds at a key point late in the second half and pulled down 10 boards in all.

ACU made 14-of-28 three-pointers in the game and shot 51 percent overall from the floor. But the Mustangs attempted 16 more shots and won the battle in the paint, 54-22.

Here’s the box score.