For a team with big aspirations for the coming year, Friday night was a disappointment for Colorado Christian, who fell to St. Edward's on the road. The Cougars dropped their season opener to the Hilltoppers 68-58 in Austin, TX.
 
Christian let a halftime lead slip away, betrayed by turnovers and poor shooting. While they weren't at their best for the first 20 minutes, CCU held a four point lead at the break, limiting St. Edward's to just 31 points on 33% shooting.
 
The struggles persisted, however, and as the game wore on the host Hilltoppers took advantage of Christian's mistakes. The Cougars managed just five made field goals in the game's final half, shooting 29% and making only one shot from beyond the arc.
 
After a hot start, Michael Brown cooled considerably. The senior guard netted 16 points in the first half, only to finish with 19 for the game. Senior forward Tyler Shields was the only other Cougar in double figures as he finished with 12 points in addition to 11 rebounds. The bench unfortunately provided little spark, producing more fouls (10) than points (8).
 
Aside from the low shooting percentage, turnovers played a big role in the loss. Twenty-three in total, and 13 coming in the second half, meant empty possessions leading to points for the opposition.
 
Head Coach Kevin Lubbers was succinct in his assessment of his team's performance. "We turned it over too many times, fouled too much, and didn't rebound well enough to win on the road."
 
The Cougars won't have time to linger on the loss, though. A 1 PM tip-off against the Patriots of Dallas Baptist University Saturday afternoon affords CCU a chance to notch their first win.