Mustangs repeat as GSAC Tournament Champions - Mar 7, 2018

The Master's University made it special and historical Monday evening, successfully defending its GSAC Men's Basketball Tournament crown with an 88-73 victory over Westmont at Arizona Christian in Phoenix.
Westmont (24-7) was competing in its first trip back to the GSAC Championship game since winning the tournament in 2000. The Mustangs (29-2) became the first GSAC team to win consecutive men's tournament titles since Azusa Pacific did so in 2008 and 2009. The victory also made NAIA No. 1-ranked TMU the GSAC's automatic qualifier into the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship that takes place at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, March 14-20, while Westmont will wait for an at-large berth.
It was a close first half, but the Mustangs pulled away from the Warriors in a strong second frame.
After creating some separation toward the end of the first half, the Mustangs went to halftime up 32-26. A layup by junior guard Delewis Johnson (6'3''-G) sparked a closing, 5-1 spurt that GSAC Player of the Year Lawrence Russell (6'4''-G) capped with a layup.
Russell spearheaded the Mustang attack over the first 20 minutes with 12 points. His four consecutive points with just under seven minutes left in the opening stanza put the Mustangs ahead for good, 23-21.
However, there was still 20 minutes of basketball left.
Coming out of the break, Keegan Scott (6'0''-PG), playing for an injured Hansel Atencia (5'10''-G-97), and Brock Gardner (6'7''-F) drained consecutive three-pointers that gave the Mustangs their first double-digit lead of the evening, 38-28.
Gardner was far from done. The sophomore transfer scored 10 consecutive points in a 3:47 window and when he buried another trifecta with 14:28 left to play, the Mustangs had a 45-34 advantage.
Westmont counterpunched with a 12-4 run. Interspersed with two jumpers by Soares, the Warriors' Zac Jervis (6'5''-F) hit a jumper and Olisa Nwachie (6'7''-F) scored a conventional 3-point play. Jervis then made a lay-up, Gerald Karcewski scored from beyond the arch, and Kyle Scalmanini (6'1''-G) added another a lay-up, closing within 49-46 at the 11:09 mark.
The Warriors were still down by just three points (55-52) less than two minutes later before Gardner took over again. He scored nine straight points, helping the Mustangs expand their advantage to 64-54 with 7:08 remaining.
In a second half full of runs, now it was Westmont's turn. The Warriors ripped off six straight points on two layups from Karczewski and two made free throws from Nwachieto to make it a four-point game at 60-64 with 5:51 left in the game. However, the firepower of the TMU squad would not let Westmont get any closer.
After Darryl McDowell-White (6'0''-PG-97, college: Fresno St.) drained a three-pointer to put the Mustangs up 67-60, the GSAC Defensive Player of the Year Tim Soares got offensive, scoring TMU's next nine points.
When he threw down a dunk with 2:16 left, the Mustangs had a 76-66 lead. Five of Soares' points came at the line, a place he was comfortable at during three games against Westmont this season, missing nary a shot in 22 attempts.
The Mustangs finished off the game at the line, too, as a desperate Westmont squad fouled to get the ball back. With the exception of a Gardner dunk in the closing seconds, the Mustangs scored their final 10 points from the stripe.
Soares wound up 7-for-7 from the line and the club went 20-for-28 (.714).
Gardner, who scored a game-high 24 points, and Soares, who followed with 21 more, combined for 35 points in an explosive second stanza (57) for the Mustangs. Gardner also took down a game-high 13 rebounds and dished out four assists. Russell was very efficient, putting up another strong line with 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and four assists.
Westmont had 18 points and 8 rebounds from Zac Jervis and 13 points each from Olisa Nwachie and Gerald Karczewski.

GSAC Tournament Final: The Master's - Westmont 88-73
GSAC Tournament Semifinals:
The Master's - Menlo 106-101
Westmont - Hope International 90-83

Courtesy of GSACSports.org