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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Wilson vs Master's
Brandon Stinson
95
Winner Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY MO 7-1
91
The Master's THE MAST 8-4
Winner
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY MO
7-1
95
Final
91
The Master's THE MAST
8-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY MO 34 61 95
The Master's THE MAST 61 30 91

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

Rocky Men’s Basketball Erases a 30-Point Deficit in a 95-91 Victory Over #18 The Master’s University

Owens ties his career high; Robinson notches his fifth double-double of the season in a stunning comeback effort.

CHANDLER, Ariz.- Despite facing a 61-31 deficit with a minute remaining in the first half, the Battlin' Bears outscored #18 The Master's University 61-30 in the second half on their way to another impressive victory. 

Even when things go south for the Battlin' Bears, the 2023-24 squad continues to find ways to adapt and overcome. 

Things were not going the way of the Rocky men on either side of the floor to start, as an and-one layup by Kaleb Lowery capitalized an 18-4 run for The Master's in the first five minutes of action. It seemed that the Mustangs couldn't miss, as they shot 63% from the field and hit eight three-pointers in a monster first half as they took their largest lead at 61-31 with a minute remaining in the first half. The Battlin' Bears entered the locker room shooting just one-of-12 from three-point range and were being outrebounded 26-10 overall. 

The Battlin' Bears made their adjustments and came back ready to work, starting the second half on a 17-6 run in the first five minutes, shooting seven-of-nine from the field to begin the half. A seemingly daunting Mustangs lead suddenly was in reach, as Cade Tyson hit a three-pointer with 11:40 remaining in the game to cut the Rocky deficit to just 10 points. Tyson's three-pointer would be followed by a jarring 17-2 run by the Battlin' Bears, forcing six Master's turnovers in their run. Jesse Owens hit a pair of technical free throws and Maxim Stephens followed behind him with two free throws of his own to give Rocky a 74-73 lead with just under nine minutes of game time remaining. 

Not only did the Battlin' Bears overcome a 30-point deficit, but they did so in just over 11 minutes of game time. 

The final nine minutes of the game lived up to the hype of a top-25 matchup, as both teams traded blows along the way. An and-0ne layup from Jordan Caruso put The Master's up by six points as the game entered the final four minutes. Free throw shooting was a crucial factor for the Battlin' Bears, who shot nine-of-10 from the line in the final four minutes of play. Maxim Stephens and A.J. Wilson drew fouls on back-to-back possessions, hitting all of their free throws to cut Rocky's deficit to two points with three minutes to go. Wilson made a tough layup drop as the clock went under two minutes to go to give Rocky their lead back at 89-88. 

Scoring then halted until the final 30 seconds of the game, when Ty Harper earned a pair of free throws to give The Master's a one-point lead. The Battlin' Bears put the ball in Kael Robinson's hands and he delivered, driving into the lane before turning around for a tough contested shot that was nothing but net. The Master's missed an early three-point attempt on the ensuing possession and Jesse Owens iced the game with four free throws to secure the 95-91 victory for the Battlin' Bears. 

Rocky's shift to dominating inside proved to be a difference maker, as the Battlin' Bears only shot seven three-pointers in the second half, hitting four of them. Instead of an outside game that has been successful for the Battlin' Bears this season, they slowed the game down and worked their way to the free throw line, as Rocky shot 21-of-26 from the free throw line in the second half alone. 

Jesse Owens tied his career high with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and seven-of-eight from the free throw line. Kael Robinson added his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Maxim Stephens and A.J. Wilson also scored in double figures, with Stephens adding 18 and Wilson finishing with 12. 

The Battlin' Bears shook off their frustrating start to shoot 46.9% from the field in the game. The Rocky men were outrebounded for just the second time this season in their win on Friday. 

The Master's finished the day shooting 50% from the field and hit 10 three-pointers. They were led by a 24-point, 16-rebound double-double from Jordan Caruso. 

The Battlin' Bears (7-1) will have Saturday off before returning to action against Marian University on Sunday afternoon. 
 
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