In a rematch between the two teams that battled for the GSAC championship last season, No. 9-ranked The Master’s University men’s basketball team defeated No. 4 Arizona Christian 86-69 Wednesday night, Jan. 8 in The MacArthur Center.

The Mustangs (13-3, 1-1 GSAC) went on a 12-0 run over a 2:37 period of the first half to grab a double-digit lead they would never relinquish.

The win is even more satisfying after TMU’s 82-64 conference-opening loss to Hope International on Saturday, Jan. 4.

“We spent time in practice the last couple days being more intentional with our offense,” said Head Coach Kelvin Starr. “And that paid off for us. We had 22 assists in the game. And defensively we challenged the guys after that Hope game. We told them they have to play more physical, you’ve got to play harder if you’re going to have a chance to win this conference.

“ACU has been the best in this conference the last five years, so if you’re going to compete for a championship, you’ve got to beat the best,” Starr said. “They are a great program, and we know that if we are even going to have a chance to win this conference we had to win this game. So I’m proud of the guys’ response.”

That early lead grew to a 16-point halftime difference, and while the Firestorm was able to cut it to within 10 points, the lead grew to the 17-point difference at the end.

TMU used the three-point shot to near perfection in the first half to generate the difference. The Master’s hit 10 of 18 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes, finishing the game 13 of 28 from long range.

But perhaps even more impressive was the Mustang defense, holding an ACU squad that averaged 82.3 points per game and hit better than 51 percent of their shots to 69 points and a field goal percentage of under 40. The Firestorm was also second in the conference from three-point range, hitting better than 39 percent from deep, but could only manage six of 20 (30 percent) from behind the arc.

“We did a good job on the scout,” Starr said. “The team did a good job responding to what we were teaching them about their shooters and what they would try to throw at us. The pressure on the ball was better than it was last Saturday, everything was just a little bit better. And so we thought that if we could make them earn everything, get a little bit tougher in the half court, then we would have a chance. And that’s what happened.”

Kemdall Moore hit five three-pointers on his way to a game-high 22 points. Kaleb Lowery finished with a double-double, collecting 21 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Deondre Earley had a career-high 13 points, with Jazen Guillory matching with 13 of his own.

The Master’s will be back in The MacArthur Center on Saturday, Jan. 11 when it hosts OUAZ for another conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.