SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Vanguard men's basketball had a rough night at The Master's, falling by a score of 103-68 on Saturday evening at Bross Court.

The Lions trailed by as many as 39 points in suffering their largest margin of defeat against a Golden State Athletic Conference opponent in nearly two decades.

The Master's shot a blistering 60.0 (36 of 60) percent from the floor, hitting 17 threes and generating assists on 27 of their 36 baskets. The Lions made just 4 of 20 from distance and finished the game at 38.2 (26 of 68) percent overall.

TMU won the battle in every statistical category, including rebounds (45-26), assists (27-14) and blocked shots (6-0).

Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) led the Lions with 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting. He was also 8 of 9 at the free throw line. He reached the 20-point mark for the sixth straight game and eighth in his last nine. He ranks second in the GSAC in scoring at 20.2 points per game.

Bryson Metz (FR/Vancouver, WA) added 10 points off the bench as the other Lion in double figures. Getting extended minutes off the bench, Kody Knox (SR/Porter Ranch, CA) and Micah Swartz (FR/Newbury Park, CA) contributed six and five points, respectively. Swartz added three assists, two rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes. Knox was 3 of 4 from the floor and added three rebounds.

Five Mustangs scored in double figures, led by 19 points by reserve Kamrin Oriol. He was one of two TMU players to drain five threes, the other being Christian Sweazie, who finished with 17 points.

Former Lion Jordan Caruso flirted with a triple-double as he posted nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Lions have lost two straight after knocking off then-No. 1 Arizona Christian a week ago, and are now 9-8 overall and 3-6 in the GSAC. TMU improved to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play.

What Happened?: The Lions fell behind by double-digits seven and a half minutes into the game when Caden Starr sank a three-pointer to give the Mustangs an 18-8 lead.

White hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 18-10, but TMU ran away from there. The Mustangs outscored the Lions 30-10 over the next 10 minutes, leading 48-20 following an Oriol three.

TMU bombarded the Lions with 10 first half threes and led 56-25 at the break.

The Lions competed with TMU on more even terms in the second half, getting slightly outscored 47-43. The reserves played for extensive stretches. Swartz hit his first career three and the bench hung with several TMU starters, outscoring them 18-17 over a seven-minute stretch.

White scored 11 points on 4 of 4 shooting in the second half.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions are now eighth in the GSAC standings at the midpoint of conference play. The top six teams advance to the GSAC Tournament in February. VU remains ahead of San Diego Christian (2-7) and Life Pacific (1-8).

What's Next?: The Lions host Life Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Orange Coast College. Tip time is 7:30 p.m.