The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2024-25 campaign, falling 80-75 on the road to Houghton University in Houghton, New York.

The loss dropped the Spartans to 3-1 overall on the season while Houghton improved to 2-1 with the win.

Graduate student guard Wade Jackson led all CWRU players with 18 points, shooting seven-of-18 from the floor with three rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Sam Trunley added 17 points and led the team with nine rebounds while matching a school record with seven steals. Senior forward Umar Rashid blocked three shots and scored eight points, while sophomore guard Charlie Fox came off the bench to dish out a team-high four assists and score seven points.

CWRU found itself down by as many as six points in the opening minutes of the game but battled back to take their first lead of the game with 9:00 on the clock on a layup by junior forward Andrew Fox, two of seven points he scored in the first half, putting the Spartans in front 19-18. The two teams continued to go back and forth, but CWRU closed out the first half on a 10-2 run over the final three minutes to take a 39-35 lead by halftime.

The Spartans' run continued into the second half, as the team opened the half on a 19-5 run and led by 18, 61-43 after a three by Trunley with 13:31 to go. However, the Highlanders answered with a 17-2 run over the next five minutes, trimming the Spartan lead to just three, 60-60, with 8:04 to play.

The game remained close but CWRU maintained a lead until the final minute of the half. Down by two with 22 seconds left, Houghton's Preston Thomas connected on a three-point attempt to give the Highlanders their first lead since the 2:08 mark in the first half, a stretch of 22 minutes and 46 seconds of play.

The Spartans would be unable to score on their next possession, giving Houghton the ball back with seven seconds left. After Houghton hit a pair of free throws to go ahead by three, the Spartans turned the ball over and the Highlanders were able to put the game out of reach with two more free throws.

The Spartans will look to bounce back on Thursday, November 21 when the team travels to West Virginia to face Bethany College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Spartan Notes

• The game was the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Highlanders.

• Saturday's loss ended a stretch of 34 consecutive non-conference regular-season wins for the Spartans dating back to the opening game of the 2021-22 season.

• Jackson is the third different Spartan to lead the team in scoring in a game this year, joining Trunley and Rashid.

• Trunley's seven steals matched the school record originally set by former Spartan Cole Frilling on December 4, 2021, against Adrian.

• Rashid has recorded at least three blocks in each of the team's four games this season and leads all Spartans with 14 blocks.