The MBU men's basketball team opened the 2009-2010 season with a loss at home to the College of the Ozarks on Saturday. The Bobcats, ranked fifth in the NAIA Division II Pre-Season Coaches Poll beat the Spartans 82-72. 
   
Both teams battled for the lead early in the first half, until the Bobcats made a run to gain a 32-18 advantage over the Spartans. MBU then made a run of its own, outscoring the Bobcats 23-4 over the next eight minutes to take a 41-36 lead into the locker room.
 
Ozarks scored first in the second half and shot an impressive 70% from the field to maintain control for the rest of the game. The Bobcats outscored the Spartans by 15 points in the second half to take the win 82-72. The Bobcats shot 57.6% from the field for the game, and the Spartans shot just 37.3%.
 
MBU Senior guard Brandon Roberson (Kilgore College) led all scorers with 29 points on 9-for-19 shooting. He was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. The next highest scorer for the Spartans was freshman guard LeAndre' Johnson (McCluer HS), who scored nine points in his college debut. College of the Ozarks had four players in double digits.
 
The Spartans will look to bounce back for a win, when they travel to Mid-Continent College on November 3rd.