KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team lost 67-58 to Illinois Tech in its home opener on Saturday afternoon.

Kalamazoo fell behind early after a cold start from the floor and trailed by 14 points four minutes into the contest. The Hornets chipped away at the lead and a spell of strong defensive pressure was capped off by a Tanner Blyly steal and Jeremiah Vincent dunk to close the gap to seven points heading into halftime. 

K continued to battle back throughout the second half, cutting into the Tech lead late with a couple of steals for baskets, but struggles at the free throw line stalled the comeback. For the game the Hornets shot 35 percent from the floor and 55 percent from the free throw line.

Jimmy Paprocki led K with 15 pts on 6-9 shooting from the floor while Jeremiah Vincent chipped in nine points and four rebounds off the bench. KaLeif Gaines also added eight points and played strong on-the-ball defense for Kalamazoo.

Malik Howze led all scorers with 23 points for Illinois Tech.

The Hornets will be back in action tomorrow as they take on John Carroll at 1 p.m. at the Anderson Athletic Center.