AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Paine College men's basketball team lost an 85-78 game to North Greenville in the home opener Tuesday evening.

The Lions are now 2-2 on the season while the Crusaders improve to 1-2.

Quinnton Jackson led the team with 19 points to go along with six assists while playing all 40 minutes. Nate Adams narrowly missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds while Jakobe Williams got everyone involved, totaling 1 7 points and nine assists. Calvin Johnson added 11 points. Kelvin Johnson and Cooper Smith added five points apiece.

Just six seconds into the game, Williams found Adams for a dunk. Jackson pushed the score to 5-0 before Kelvin Johnson's lay-up extended the score to 7-0. Moments later, Williams hit Calvin Johnson for a lay-up and a 13-2 lead.

The Lions extended the advantage to 13 when Adams buried a jumper to make it 20-7 with 13:23 to go in the half. With 11:48 to play, Williams connected with Adams for a lay-up and a 24-7 margin. NGU cut into the lead slowly the rest of the half and tied it on a jumper at the buzzer, sending the game to intermission tied at 44-44.

In a back-and-forth second half, Adams made a pair of free throws with 13:55, giving the home team a 55-54 lead. The Crusaders answered with a jumper at the 13:38 mark and never trailed again.

For the game, Paine College hit 31-of-64 from the floor (48.4 percent), including 30.8 percent from downtown. The Lions accounted for 36 points in the paint and notched 18 points on the break.

The Lions return to action Friday, Nov. 18 at Fort Valley State. The contest starts at 7 p.m.