Box Score Nicholas Kennard scored 18 points and two other players finished in double figures, but it was not enough as Oakwood University fell 80-72 Saturday night to Washington Adventist University in the season opener for both teams at The Pitt in Takoma Park, Md.

The loss dropped the Ambassadors to 0-1, while the Shock improved to 1-0.

Oakwood, which never led in the game, trailed 10-0 less than four minutes into it as the Ambassadors missed their first five shots from the field and had to play from behind the rest of the game.

After trailing 46-35 at intermission, Oakwood opened the second half with an 8-2 run to pull to within 48-43 after a layup by Chris Davis with 18 minutes left. WAU responded with a 6-0 run to push its lead back to 54-43 two minutes later, but the Ambassadors would not go away.

Kennard's layup midway through the second half, part of an 18-10 Oakwood run, pulled the Ambassadors within 64-61, but they could not get any closer.

Davis finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and had five blocked shots. Bryan Williams had 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals. Robert Booker and A'drelin Robinson had nine points each.

Oakwood shot only 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the field and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range. The Ambassadors also committed 28 turnovers and the Shock scored 30 points off of them.

Ethan Murphy led three WAU players in double figures with 20 points.

The big difference in the game came at the free throw line and in second chance points. WAU was 27-of-38 from the charity stripe, while Oakwood was 17-of-21. Meanwhile, the Shock had 19 second chance points, while the Ambassadors managed only six.