Boxscore

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - Saint Augustine's College suffered its first loss of the season in men's basketball Friday. 

The Falcons fell 81-65 to Central State (Ohio) on the first day of the ECSU Classic. The contest was played at the Vaughn Center on the campus of Elizabeth City State University. Shooting was the difference as the Falcons shot 18-of-61 for 30 percent for the game while the Marauders shot 24-of-44 for 55 percent. 

The Falcons (1-1 overall) placed four scorers in double figures. Guard/forward Jon Kindred (Soph./Raleigh, N.C.) led the way with 16 points followed by guard Nick Chamblee (Soph./Hampton, Va.) with 12 points. Forward Chris Johnson (Redshirt Fr./Hampton, Va.) added 11 points and forward Shaun Washum (Sr./Norfolk, Va.) chipped in 10 points for the Falcons. 

Jon Kindred scored 14 points and guard Joel Kindred (Fr./Raleigh, N.C.) added seven points in the first half, but no one else found the range in the first 20 minutes. The Falcons led 2-0 in the opening seconds, but the Marauders (2-1 overall) went on a 23-7 run for a 23-9 lead with 9:31 left in the half. 

Shooting an astonishing 72 percent in the first half, the Marauders entered halftime leading 44-31. Wesley Jones of  the Marauders scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the first half. The Falcons finished the half shooting 31 percent. 

The Falcons were still frigid in the second half, shooting 28 percent, but they pulled back in the game by scoring off turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds. Down 47-31 with 18:36 left, the Falcons went on a 12-2 run in a four-minute span to climb within 49-43. They failed to keep the momentum because of cold shooting, and the Marauders opened another double-digit lead midway in the half. 

The Falcons never quit, pulling back within 61-54 with 6:11 remaining, but the Marauders finished in a flurry, outscoring the Falcons 20-11 in the final six minutes. Greg Rice and Eddie Taylor-Boyce both added 11 points for the Marauders, an NCAA Tournament participant along with the Falcons last season. Jon Kindred had three of the Falcons' 12 steals. The Falcons rebounded well on the offensive end (18-7) and scored 27 points off 24 turnovers but their shooting woes did them in. 

The Falcons will play again Saturday in the ECSU Classic. They face Barton College at 6 p.m.