Eric Thompson matched a career-high with 34 points Saturday.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Eric Thompson made sure that he and the Southern Oregon men's basketball team didn't miss their first chance to bounce back Saturday night at The Master's.
A night after Thompson and the Raiders hit almost nothing but iron, the junior post carried the fourth-ranked Raiders with 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists in their 92-80 defeat of the Mustangs.
David Sturner contributed 18 points and 12 boards as SOU improved to 3-1. Jeff Bush was a shade off a double-double with 11 points, nine assists and four boards.
Thompson's takeover began immediately following 16 unanswered Mustang points that gave them a 28-18 lead. He responded with three 3-pointers during a 15-5 spur that leveled the score.
SOU went up for good with an eight-point run that broke a 50-all tie in the second half, capped by Thompson's 3-pointer and layup. When Master's cut it to 60-59, Bush got in the paint for a layup, Thompson hit two free throws and Sturner knocked down a 3 to open it up again.
In Friday's 80-64 loss at Westmont, Thompson went 2-for-10, failing to score in double digits for just the sixth time in his career, and the Raiders were stymied at 34-percent shooting as a team. They shot 53 percent (35-for-66) against the Mustangs and drilled 12 triples.
Kyle Tedder fed an 80-72 lead consecutive 3-pointers to seal the win with four minutes left. He had 11 points.
Thompson's total matched a career-high that he set twice during the 2011-12 season. He went 11-for-22 from the field and 6-for-11 from deep.
The Master's (1-1), a member of the NAIA Division I Golden State Athletic Conference, put four players in double figures led by Bernard Ireland's 24 points. The Mustangs stayed in it by shooting 10-for-19 from beyond the arc and Ireland had six of those treys.
The Raiders are off until Nov. 22 and 23 when meet Westminster (Utah) and William Jessup (Calif.) at Oregon Tech's Midland Empire Classic.