The Central Christian men's basketball team set the tone early and cruised to a 110-91 victory over Ozark Christian College to open MCCC play on Thursday in the Ferneau Center.

Led by Andre Johnson's 23 points and Jackson King's 22, the Saints (6-4, 1-0 MCCC) had five players reach double figures while dishing out a season-high 33 assists.

Central Christian burst out of the gates, grabbing a 16-2 lead just 5:40 into the game, then went on to lead by 31 at 47-16 with 3:51 left in the first half.

The Saints led 56-33 at halftime before Ozark Christian (4-7, 0-1 MCCC) fought to narrow the gap in the second half. The Ambassadors got as close as 14 with 11 minutes to go, but the Saints quickly regained control with a 10-3 spurt over the next two minutes.

Sam Adams and Aaron Douglas both scored 18 points each, while Quincy James, Jr. added 12 points. Andre Johnson also dished out 10 assists without committing a turnover.

Central Christian shot 61 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. They held the Ambassadors to 40 percent shooting and 25 percent from 3-point range.

Ozark Christian was led by Josiah Beckenhauer with 25 points.

The Saints will hit the road on Saturday to face Calvary University in another MCCC matchup tipping off at 8 p.m. immediately following the women's game.