Archers Fall Short in Heartbreaker Against Spoon River College, 72–70

The St. Louis Community College men's basketball team suffered another tough loss Thursday night at Forest Park, falling 72–70 to Spoon River College after surrendering a late lead in the closing seconds.

The Archers overcame a slow start after trailing 16–2 early, cutting the deficit to three at halftime (37–34). STLCC briefly seized control in the second half, taking a 47–45 lead behind back-to-back three-pointers from freshman guard Miyel Taylor. With less than a minute remaining, the Archers held a 70–65 advantage, but two costly turnovers allowed Spoon River to convert a four-point play and a three-point play, sealing the Snappers' comeback victory.

Four Archers scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Zac Goss, who posted 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting and added four assists. Taylor contributed 16 points, while forwards Justin Hayes and Stefan Higgins combined for 21 points on efficient shooting. Higgins also led STLCC with eight rebounds.

Despite shooting an impressive 59.6% from the field (28-for-47), STLCC was undone by 16 turnovers and missed opportunities at the free-throw line (11-for-16).

Head Coach Terry Collins reflected on the defeat:
"We have struggled all year to build leads and tonight was more of the same. An 8-point lead with 2:45 to go, we need the determination to simply not let the opponent back into the game. There are two keys to that: Take care of the ball and be tough on the defensive end. The great Vince Lombardi once said, 'Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing.' It will take some intestinal fortitude to break the bad habits we have developed."