The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team struggled to shake off the cobwebs in its first game over two weeks, losing 73-59 to Babson College on Sunday in the teams' opening game at the E.M. "Mose" Hole/ Wooster Kiwanis Classic in Wooster, Ohio.

The loss was the second straight for the Spartans and their fifth in the last six games, as the team dropped to 4-6 overall with one more game remaining before the start of University Athletic Association play. Babson improved to 5-4 overall with the win.

Senior guard Sam Trunley led all Spartans with 17 points, shooting six-of-14 from the floor and two-of-five from behind the three-point line with two assists, two steals, and a block. Senior forward Umar Rashid added eight points and led the team with five rebounds and three assists.

The Spartans fell behind early on Sunday night and ended the first half trailing 32-17, despite a nine-point effort from Trunley during the period. CWRU shot uncharacteristically poorly over the first 20 minutes of the game, failing to make a three on just four attempts from behind the arc and connecting on just seven-of-22 shots overall. The 15-point deficit to end the frame was the Spartans' largest of the opening half of play.

CWRU turned around its perimeter shooting in the second half, making seven-of-13 (53.8%) from long range during the period, but remained behind by double figures throughout the second half.

The Spartans will wrap-up play at the tournament in Wooster tomorrow when the Spartans face the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford at 4:00 p.m.

Spartan Notes

• CWRU finished the game shooting 41.2% (21-51) from the floor and 41.2% (7-17) from three-point range.

• Sunday's game was the first-ever meeting between CWRU and Babson.

• Rashid's block on Sunday gives him 25 for the season, and he is now on pace for a school-record 62 blocks. His 120 career blocks are one shy of Eric Duerr (2007-11) for the third most in program history, four away from Julien Person (2011-15) for the second-most, and 35 short of David Thompson's (2010-14) school record.