SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Interstat) — The Master’s used a balanced offense and a productive opening quarter to defeat Keiser 80-67 in a men’s NAIA basketball game on Saturday at Bross Gym. The Mustangs improved to 1-1, while the Seahawks also moved to 1-1. Keiser entered after a 66-64 win over Life Pacific, and The Master’s came in after an 89-82 loss to A&M-San Antonio.

The Master’s scored 45 points in the first quarter, while Keiser scored 30. Keiser scored 37 points the rest of the way, and The Master’s added 35. The Mustangs scored 80 points from 80 possessions and had an offensive rating of 100.4. Keiser scored 67 points from 79 possessions, an offensive rating of 84.8. The Master’s shot 22-for-60 from the floor, 8-for-31 from 3-point range and 28-for-33 from the free-throw line. Keiser shot 14-for-40 from the floor, 4-for-11 from beyond the arc and 35-for-40 from the line.

The Master’s finished with 35 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end, and 11 assists. Keiser had 39 rebounds, six offensive, and six assists. Keiser committed 26 turnovers, and The Master’s committed 14. Keiser was called for 27 fouls, while The Master’s was whistled for 31.

Quincy Phillips was The Master’s top performer with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Caden DeVries added 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes. Brayden Miner scored 16 points in 14 minutes, and Jayceon Smith had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists. Phillips had six points, two rebounds, two assists and a block in his previous game against A&M-San Antonio. For Keiser, Nadir Myers scored 15 points in 27 minutes. Khari Dunn had 11 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Loghan Downie added 11 points, Jaylen Lee scored 10 points with five rebounds, Mathew Shea had nine points and four rebounds, and Cortez Abel contributed six points, six rebounds, two assists and one block.

The decisive stretch came in the first half, when The Master’s built its lead with a mix of inside scoring and free throws. Nadir Myers opened Keiser’s scoring with a 3-pointer, and Mathew Shea and Loghan Downie hit early shots. The Master’s answered through Jayceon Smith, Caden DeVries and Brayden Miner, with Kelson Gebbers and Jalen Atkins also connecting from 3-point range. Quincy Phillips made consecutive layups and later hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the first quarter to cap a 45-point opening quarter for The Master’s. Keiser’s Jaylen Lee scored on a 3-pointer, a jumper and a layup during the opening period, and Khari Dunn made a 3-pointer and several free throws to help keep the Seahawks within range early. Donovan Holcombe made two free throws for Keiser, and Cortez Abel added two more. Caden DeVries made a 3-pointer, and Josh Watkins scored on a layup for The Master’s. Jackson Slater made three free throws at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Phillips hit another 3-pointer and added a pair of free throws. Smith converted a three-point play and made another layup, while DeVries scored on layups and hit a 3-pointer. Miner repeatedly drew fouls and made free throws, and The Master’s maintained its cushion. Keiser answered with Myers, Dunn, Downie and Shea. Myers made a layup and two free throws, Downie made two free throws with 11 seconds remaining before halftime, and Shea scored inside. The Mustangs also got free throws from Jalen Atkins, Eli Terpsma and Nate Boakye in the second quarter.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of The Master’s 85, Keiser 84, and Interstat’s ELO system had projected Keiser with a 54.2 percent probability to win.