Bushnell University

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The Master's University, currently receiving votes in the NAIA National Coaches Poll held off a late scoring charge by Bushnell men's basketball as they claimed an 88-83 victory over Bushnell in non-conference action Thursday night.
 
The Master's (2-4) had stretched a six-point halftime lead to a 77-52 advantage with under seven minutes to play before Bushnell simply caught fire. Using the strength of four three-pointers, the Beacons went on a 29-7 run over the next six minutes and a Gabriel Townsend layup made it a three point game, 84-81 with 45 seconds remaining.
 
With defense clamped down, the Beacons forced the Master's into a bad shot on their next possession, but an offensive rebound for Caden Devries meant Bushnell had to foul and the Mustangs were able to seal the game at the free-throw line with Quincy Phillips scoring four times from the charity stripe.
 
Bushnell (2-3) was led by Kaleb Burnett (pictured), putting together another outstanding performance with 26 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to earn the double-double. Roman Gabriel added a season-high 20 points while Drew Groenig hit 4-for-8 from three-point range to score 14. Jacob Martinez hit a trio of threes and scored 12 points off the bench. The Beacons shot 40% from the field and were 9-for-31 from beyond the arc.
 
The Master's (2-4) were led by Phillips, scoring 21 points, ten rebounds and eight assists, while shooting 9-for-9 at the free-throw line. The Mustangs shot 42% in the game and were 17-for-19 on free throws for the game.
 
Up Next: Bushnell stays in California and will head to San Dimas on Saturday to take on Life Pacific College (1-3) at 6:00 pm.