The Benedictine Mesa Men's Basketball team fought hard against the #7 ranked The Master's but ultimately fell short, losing 80-72.
First Half:
In the first ten minutes, the game showcased a competitive atmosphere. The Master's opened the scoring with a three-pointer from Quincy Phillips, but Benedictine quickly countered with a layup from
Damian Zivak. The Master's established a 6-2 lead through layups and strong rebounds before a three-pointer from Kendall Moore extended it to 9-2.
Benedictine Mesa demonstrated resilience, with
Malakai Harris hitting a three-pointer and
Malik Payton adding a free throw to close the gap to 12-6. Phillips continued to shine for The Master's, adding another three-pointer and a t three-point play, pushing the score to 21-14. A late three-pointer from
Emad Elniel narrowed the score to 21-17, but The Master's maintained a 24-17.
In the second ten minutes of the half, both teams made substitutions as the game continued to see-saw. A jumper from Deaken Stangl helped The Master's extend their lead to 26-17. Benedictine struggled with missed shots but kept the game competitive. Payton scored consecutive three-pointers, bringing the margin to 35-30, but Stangl's late scoring helped The Master's close the half with a 39-32 advantage.
Second Half:
The second half began with high energy and early substitutions for Benedictine. A turnover allowed The Master's to extend their lead to 42-32. However, Benedictine responded with a three-pointer from
Deven Foster, narrowing the gap to 43-37. The teams exchanged scoring, and the lead fluctuated before
Malik Payton tied the game at 65-65 with a critical layup.
As the clock wound down, The Master's edged ahead with a three-pointer from Caden Starr, prompting a timeout from Benedictine. Despite a late jumper from
Deven Foster, The Master's held on for an 80-72 victory.
Key Players:
Looking Ahead: The Redhawks will seek to rebound on the road against Embry-Riddle on Saturday, January 18th.
