With 3.2 seconds on the clock, Kendall Moore hit a 15-foot jumper to lift The Master’s University Men’s Basketball team to an 87-85 win over Embry-Riddle in the semifinals of the GSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon, March 1 in The MacArthur Center.

The Mustangs will now host the Arizona Christian Firestorm Tuesday, March 4 at home to decide which team will be conference tournament champions.

The lead changed eight times and was tied another six times, with TMU getting as much as an eight-point lead in the second half and ERAU a six-point lead in the first 20 minutes.

But it was the work The Master’s did off the backboards that led directly to this win. The Mustangs pulled down 38 rebounds in the game, compared to 28 for the Eagles. And of those 38, 16 were off the offensive glass, resulting in 18 second-chance points. The Eagles could only muster five offensive rebounds that led to eight points.

While not getting anything larger than that six-point lead, Embry-Riddle controlled the pace and the game through most of the first half. But with the game tied at 38-38, Jaren Nafarrete hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give TMU a three-point lead going into the locker room.

The Master’s rode that momentum coming out in the second half, going up by eight in the first 3:54 of the half. But the Eagles, one of the best three-point-shooting teams in the country, flew with those threes, hitting eight of nine in the second half to retake the lead with 12:10 to play.

For the game, ERAU hit 75 percent from behind the arc.

“When (your opponent) goes 12 for 16 from three-point range, you probably lose that game 99 percent of the time,” TMU Head Coach Kelvin Starr said. “So for us to find a way to get that win is a credit to quite a few things. Obviously, with Kendall hitting that big-time shot, I’m happy for him. It’s a team sport but it’s still a great memory for him.”

The teams traded scores, and the game felt like it was destined for overtime, before Moore pulled up for his game-winning jumper to send the Mustangs to Tuesday’s championship game.

Kaleb Lowery led TMU with 31 points and also pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. Moore finished his day pouring 21 down through the net.

“Kaleb had a monster night on both ends of the floor,” said Starr. “A few of those offensive rebounds he got with two or three people battling him for the ball. Just incredible.”

The win marked the 32nd game in a row the Mustangs have won in The MacArthur Center, and the team is looking to add three more to the total. In addition to the GSAC championship game Tuesday night in The MacArthur Center, The Master’s learned it will host the Opening Rounds of the NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament on March 14 and 15.

But first, Tuesday’s GSAC championship, which will tip-off at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got to move on to Tuesday,” Starr said. “It’s going to be a national-tournament-level game, and it’s going to be great prep for both of us heading into the national tournament.”

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