CHANDLER, Ariz. - For the second-consecutive day, the Carroll Men's Basketball team saw a tight game slip away in the later stages of the second half, falling 95-82 to No. 18 Masters (Calif.) on day two of the 2023 Cactus Classic.

The Fighting Saints (4-7) battled for 40 minutes, but once again saw their opponents, the Mustangs (9-3), pull away in the final minutes to take home a 95-82 win.

After going on top to start the game, Carroll found themselves playing from behind nearly all of the opening half. The Mustangs gained the lead near the 17-minute mark of the first half, and would not surrender it. 

Carroll kept things very close throughout the first 20, never allowing the Masters to gain a lead larger than six points, and the teams would head into the break with the Saints trailing by just three, 43-40.

Andrew Cook (Huntington Beach, Calif. / JR) scored 13 of his 19 total points in the first half, but the Mustangs would find a way to slow Carroll's top scoring threat down in the second.

The Mustangs' Caden Star would flex his muscle in the second half. Starr led the way for the Masters, going 5-8 from beyond the arc to score 23 of his game-high 32 points.

A back-and-forth start to the frame would see Carroll fall behind, and then chip the lead down to just three points three separate times, but Carroll simply couldn't find a way to even things up at any point.

The Mustangs would pull away for good over the final five minutes, ending the game on a 14-6 run to close out the 13-point victory.

Cook, along with Kendall Moore (Dayton, Ohio / JR), scored 19 points to lead Carroll. Moore added eight rebounds and five assists to his stat line in a continuation of his strong play this week.

Trent Rogers (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) scored double-digit points behind 66 percent from the three-point line on the afternoon.

The Saints will have a day off tomorrow, with the team getting a chance to enjoy some Arizona sunshine before closing their week at the event on Tuesday against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).

Visit www.carrollathletics.com on Tuesday evening for a recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.