The Baruch College Bearcats suffered an 85-70 loss to the Red Hawks of Montclair State University in the opening day of the 2015-16 college basketball season on Friday night in the ARC Arena.

The Bearcats started strong in the first half by shooting 50 percent (15-for-30), including a key 5-for-11 from three, to build a 39-32 halftime lead.

The second half was a different story as the visiting Red Hawks shot a torrid 59 percent (15-for-26), including 3-for-5 from three and 20-of-26 from the free throw line, for a surge to overtake the lead late en route to the win.

Chimaechi Ekekeugborled the Bearcats in the scoring column with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Bryler Paigeand Doyin Isaacfinished with 13 points each.

The Red Hawks had three players with 20 or more points with Erick Loften-Harris tops with 27 points and nine rebounds. They also out-rebounded the Bearcats by a 56-20 advantage.

The Bearcats will hit the road Monday night for another game against an opponent from the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).

Tip-off against Kean University in Union, New Jersey is scheduled for 7:00 pm with live stats and video available for this non-conference battle.