SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Ottawa University Arizona men's basketball team dropped their first home game in program history on Tuesday night, by a final of 98-85 to Arizona Christian University, in front of 303 fans at Willow Canyon High School.

With the loss, the Spirit fall to 1-3 overall on the season. With the victory, Arizona Christian University improves to a perfect 3-0 on the year.

The Spirit and Firestorm played a back-and-forth first 20 minutes on Monday evening. The teams stuck close for the first few minutes, before the Firestorm went on a run. Midway through the first half, OUAZ responded with a run of their own. Tanner Riley (JR/Salt Lake City, UT) made a jumper with eight seconds remaining before halftime, to give the Spirit the 38-36 lead headed into the break.

In the first half, OUAZ shot 13-for-26 (50%) from the floor, 4-for-8 (50%) from beyond the three-point arc, and made eight of their nine free-throw attempts. ACU shot just 13-of-32 from the floor and 6-of-15 from deep.

Arizona Christian made their first shot attempt 15 seconds into the second half, and never looked back. After evening the game, ACU would go on to outscore the Spirit 62-47 in the final 20 minutes of action on Tuesday. The Firestorm shot 20-for-34 from the field and converted on 18 of their 21 free-throw attempts. OUAZ finished the second half 18-for-33 from the field and just 5-for-10 at the free-throw line.

In the loss, five players finished in double-figure scoring for the Spirit. Desmond Ross (SR/Glendale, AZ) led the way with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Matthew McClain (SR/Charleston, SC) finished with a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds.

The Spirit men's basketball team heads west this weekend, for a pair of games at The Master's College. OUAZ will face Life Pacific College on Friday evening, followed by a match-up with the University of Antelope Valley on Saturday.

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About Ottawa University

Founded in 1865, Ottawa University prepares professional and liberal arts graduates for lifetimes of personal significance, vocational fulfillment and service to God and humanity within a Christ-inspired community of grace and open inquiry. Ottawa University is a comprehensive, not-for-profit educational institution serving 3,000 students through its residential campuses in Ottawa, Kan., and Surprise, Ariz., and adult campuses in Overland Park, Kan.; Phoenix, Queen Creek and Surprise, Ariz.; Brookfield, Wis.; Jeffersonville, Ind.; as well as online. For more information, visit www.ottawa.edu. 

For more information about OUAZ athletics, visit http://www.ottawa.edu/ouaz/athletics. Follow OUAZ athletics on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OUAZSpiritAthletics/ and on Twitter twitter.com/OUAZSpirit.