The Master’s University men’s basketball team held off a late charge to defeat the Southern Oregon Raiders 73-69 Tuesday, Nov. 25 in the final game of the HIU Thanksgiving Classic in Fullerton.

The Mustangs (5-4) had an 11-point lead with 6:30 to play, only to find the Raiders on an 11-0 run to tie it at 58-58.

TMU pulled away to lead by seven with 1:40 to go, but again Southern Oregon came back to within two. But TMU’s defense made stops and shooters hit their free throws to get the win.

“Still a long way to go,” said TMU head coach Kelvin Starr. “But winning is not easy. So you have to enjoy it when you do.”

Defense was the name of the game in the first half as both teams were held to just 29 points to go into the locker room tied. Both teams shot 46 percent from the field, but The Master’s struggles from long range continued as the team went zero for 10 in the first 20 minutes.

That all changed in the second half as both the three-point shooting and defense made the right adjustments. The Mustangs hit five of eight from behind the arc while the defense held the Raiders to 13 of 32 (40 percent) from the field.

The combination of both helped TMU get to that 11-point lead, only to see it vanish.

Jazen Guillory led Master’s with 17 points followed by Tiago Soares with 14 and Quincy Phillips with 11. Caden DeVries led the team with six rebounds.

The Master’s will open GSAC play on Thursday, Dec. 4 when it hosts the OUAZ Spirit in The MacArthur Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.