Game Recap By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director

The scenarios were similar. The results were not.

On Thursday, the Mustangs used a dominant run to build an 11-point, second-half lead against William Jessup. But the Warriors stormed back to create an uncomfortable ending.

Saturday, No. 6 TMU again turned a back-and-forth affair into a big lead. But this time, it never let off the gas, running past Menlo College, 91-77, inside The MacArthur Center to earn its 29th straight home win.

The difference between the two victories?

“We didn’t relax,” said point guard Hansel Atencia, who hit a three-pointer shortly before halftime to cap a 15-4 run that gave the Mustangs a nine-point cushion after a competitive 20 minutes.

The teams traded leads nine times in the opening period, with six ties.

After the break, Menlo never came closer than seven points and Master’s led by as many as 22 on the way to its sixth straight win.

The Mustangs are 14-2 overall and 4-1 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, good for second place behind Vanguard (16-0, 4-0).

Master’s will next host Westmont College at TMU on Jan. 12.

For coach Kelvin Starr, the difference between this win and Thursday’s 81-78 win over Jessup was a matter of playing smart.

“Better decisions, better shots, better clock management,” Starr said. “We played a really good second half. We didn’t give them anything easy until that stretch at the end.”

Delewis Johnson led the Mustangs with 20 points and six rebounds. Atencia followed with 19 points and six assists, and Tim Soares chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Starr credited Soares, who finished with five blocks, with controlling the paint and asserting himself more on offense. Everyone, the coach said, played a part.

“(Johnson) was good at going downhill, Hansel was very good distributing in the second half,” Starr said. “They all did something. It was a good team effort.”

Menlo’s Charles Neal finished with 29 points on 11-of-25 shooting. He made five three-pointers.

Jordan Starr scored 13 points for the Mustangs, continuing his hot shooting from beyond the arc.

The freshman made 3-of-5 from distance after entering the game at 46 percent from there.

Jordan Starr, like Atencia, felt TMU’s ability to close was a mental matter.

“I think tonight we were more locked in, more focused,” he said.

For Johnson, it was another performance in which he barreled his way into the paint, finishing with touch around the rim. Against Jessup, he tossed in 21 points, mostly from point-blank range.

Saturday, he made 8-of-14 shots, 1-of-3 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.

Atencia made 12-of-13 shots from the free throw line, a result of the Mustangs continuing to attack the paint.

“The free throw line was a friend today,” Kelvin Starr said.

Here’s the box score.