Season opener jitters were evident early on Thursday night, as the Archers men's basketball team played host to the Missouri Baptist JV team on the Forest Park campus, so the Archers turned to their defense to get the offense flowing in the 67-35 win. Defensively, the Archers held the Spartans to 27% shooting from the field and added twelve steals on the night, and for a stretch late in the first half and early into the second half, the Archers turned turnovers into easy transistion baskets to create some breathing room and allowed Coach Collins to play the entire roster in the opener.
Dominique Loyd led the way for the Archers as he scored a team high ten points, on 4-6 shooting form the floor, and Cameron Lockett added eight points and nine rebounds, do most of his damage in the paint. Charles James drew the starting nod at the point and dished out a team high four assists and added three steals, while Raushaun Amos collected four steals on the evening.
The Archers, who started five freshman, are now 1-0 on the season and return to action on Monday night at Lindenwood-Belleville.