CCCB sophomore Quincy James, Jr., scored a career-high 27 points in the Saints' 92-85 victory over Calvary University.
Mens Basketball
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Saints blitz Warriors early, hold on late for back-to-back wins

Moberly, Mo.

The Saints came out blazing, scoring 20 points in the first four minutes of play, but it took everything they could muster to hold on to their 92-85 victory over Calvary University on Tuesday night in the Ferneau Center.

Central Christian (6-15, 3-5 MCCC) wasted no time setting the tone. A pair of 8-0 runs in the opening minutes gave the Saints leads of 13-5 and 24-9. They went on to lead by as many as 20 in the first and held a 54-36 advantage at halftime.

Calvary (2-16, 1-6 MCCC) came out much more aggressive after the break and whittled away at the deficit throughout the second half. The Warriors cut the margin to single digits with 11:15 to play and pulled to within three with 36 seconds remaining.

An Ayris Abdelnassar drive to the basket 13 seconds later gave the Saints a two-possession lead, and a Quincy James, Jr., rebound on the other end kept the hosts in control for the final seconds.

Sam Adams was clutch down the stretch, going 8-for-8 from the free throw line as the Warriors fouled in an attempt to pull closer. The junior guard was one of four Saints in double figures with his 18 points.

James led Central Christian with a career-high 27 points and eight rebounds. Jackson King scored another 19 points, while De'Shon Thompson scored 10 points despite missing all of the second half with an injury.

Calvary was led by Jonah Murr's game-high 30 points. Kevon Williams added 15 points and Noah Derderian had 13.

The Saints were cold from beyond the arc, connecting on only four of their 20 attempts for a 20 percent clip. They managed a strong offensive performance despite poor outside shooting thanks to overall shooting of 51 percent, recording 13 steals, and connecting on 22 of their 31 (71 percent) free throw attempts.

The Warriors shot 45 percent from the field, 35 percent (10-for-29) from behind the arc, and 71 percent (15-for-21) at the free throw line.

The Saints join the women's program in a pair of doubleheaders this weekend when they host Barclay College on Friday and Manhattan Christian College on Saturday.