The Missouri Western men’s basketball team lost to East Central (OK) 73-59 Friday afternoon in their first game of the Doubletree Hotle/Houlihans Drury Thanksgiving Classic in Springfield.

The Griffons struggled early as they fell behind 26-6 and trailed 39-19 at halftime. Missouri Western was held to 22% shooting, while East Central hit on 52% of its shots including 12-16 free throws.

MWSU was able to cut the deficit to single digits in the second half with less than five minutes to go with a Kevin Thomas layup but couldn’t overcome the Tigers hot shooting.

Missouri Western was led by Cortrez Colbert with 19 points and six rebounds on the day. Forward’s Kevin Thomas scored 12 points and Seth Bonifas chipped in seven points.

East Central has five players score at least eight points. They were able to hit five three-pointers on the day and convert on 30-42 free throw attempts to seal the victory.

The Griffons will return to the court Saturday at 3 p.m. to take on #4 Drury. The game will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ and here on StJosephPost.com.

— MWSU Sports Information —