Heartbreak. The Men's Basketball team travelled west this past Tuesday to play a conference opponent for the first time this season, but fell just short of snapping a long and painful losing streak. Seeing victories in the first 4 games of the season against NAIA teams would be a tall order, but the Archers came to Dubuque very hopeful to beat a team their size. And although this loss hurts, there is still much hope that this streak will be broken this season.

The Archers played good ball against the Eagles Tuesday night. They matched and even beat out Emmaus in many stat categories--they put up 24 more shots than the Eagles, won the turnover margin, and dominated scoring in the paint. It was a stark contrast to last year's matchup against Emmaus, in which Moody lost by 25 and was held to just 20 points in the second half. This year, Moody's Donavan Wright took a huge scoring load, shooting 12-19 from the field and 1 free-throw (25 points). Duncan Brandt also helped the team in scoring, having 12 points off the bench. 

So, what went wrong? The Archers did everything right to win this game except fouling. Moody watched the Eagles fly away with the game as they lined up for 32 free-throws throughout the game, in comparison to the Archers' 9 FTs. With 24 personal fouls, Moody felt as if the game was pulled straight from their hands. Going from the physicality of NAIA ball to the physicality of NCCAA DII ball is a tough transition. The lesson is a hard one to learn, but it will be needed as they progress further into the season.

Up next, the Archers will host their Big Four Tournament at home. See you there! Go Archers