In a game that saw both Victor Ohia Obioha and Brandon Green score career highs, The Master’s University defeated Southern California Leadership University 87-68 Friday, Dec. 30, in The MacArthur Center.

The game came together in a day as the Mustangs (11-4) had been scheduled to play Lincoln University on Friday. But travel difficulties forced LU to cancel on Thursday. A few phone calls later the Rhinos replaced the Oaklanders on The Master’s schedule.

“It wasn’t about the end result, it was about the process as we prepare for conference games,” said Head Coach Kelvin Starr. “I was happy all of our guys got to play. It was a good reward for those guys who battle every day in practice to get some good minutes.”

Both Ohia Obioha, who scored 18 points, and Green (11) came off the bench to get their respective career highs.

“Victor was great today,” Starr said. “He is starting to hit his stride a little bit. We need him. He’s a big piece for us. And BG played well on both ends of the floor. He’s the most loved guy on our team. He just exudes character and lives selflessly. He’s a great illustration to me of someone who is humble and gracious, but he gets a lot of attention. People are attracted to humility.”

The Master’s started on a 9-0 run to open the game. After two SCLU free throws made it 9-2, TMU went on a 10-0 run to blow the game wide open. Ohia Obioha had 12 of his 18 points in the first half, leading the Mustangs to a 52-24 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes.

Jordan Caruso came close to a triple-double, scoring eight points, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing 10 assists. Kamrin Oriol continues to be a big threat off the bench, scoring 13 against the Rhinos. It was the seventh game Oriol has scored in double figures off the bench.

Christian Sweazie hit four 3s on his was to 12 points, and Kaleb Lowery had a team-high 11 rebounds to go with eight points.

“We played hard, which is always the challenge coming off of break,” Starr said. “Now we prepare for GSAC play with six of the next seven on the road. We’ve got to become road warriors, and that’s going to be a challenge.”

The Master’s, receiving votes for the NAIA Top 25, will now travel to Northern California for back-to-back GSAC games. The first is Thursday, Jan. 5, in Atherton against Menlo, followed by Saturday, Jan. 7, in Rocklin against RV William Jessup.

To learn more visit TMU Sports.