The Master’s University men’s basketball team dropped a tough game to NAIA No. 14 Hope International 75-74 on Tuesday, Feb. 3 in The MacArthur Center.

Quincy Phillips missed a layup with 16 ticks left with TMU down one and Tiago Soares’ heave from half court wasn’t enough to top the Royals.

TMU was in a physical battle with the Royals early on in the first half, with the game being tightly contested. HIU held the largest lead at just five points as the swapped leads constantly. Avery Jackson led the charge with 14 points and Brayden Miner had 12 points on four makes from distance, with Soares sitting most of the half in foul trouble.

The Royals only took a four-point lead into the break despite shooting 67 percent from the field, compared to just 39 percent for the Mustangs. Eleven offensive rebounds kept the Mustangs in the game, as they totaled 16 more shot attempts than Hope International in the first half.

The second half was loaded with physical plays as HIU would build its lead on multiple occasions. However, TMU would narrow the gap down and take the lead back at every opportunity.

“They were really physical and we were a bit undersized,” TMU Head Coach Kelvin Starr said. “But I’m proud of the way we battled even though we didn’t play well offensively.”

The physical Royals continued to put pressure on The Master’s, attempting 31 free throws and forcing 23 TMU fouls. But the Mustangs had a chance in the final minutes, with Quincy Phillips making a pair of free throws to bring the lead down to just one. Phillips added another score off a tough layup through contact to give TMU the lead moments later.

HIU took the lead back with 36 seconds remaining off a layup of its own and looked to seal the game off one final stop. Jackson turned the ball over but missed free throws gave the ball back to The Master’s with 16 seconds left. Phillips missed the go-ahead layup and Soares’ attempt from downtown was off as HIU held on.

Jackson scored 24 points and had nine rebounds while Phillips totaled 17 points.

TMU will travel to take on Embry-Riddle on Thursday, Feb. 5 in Prescott, Ariz.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.