Evangel University experienced an emotional high with a 15-point win over rival College of the Ozarks last week to earn its first victory of the season.

Then the Crusaders faced a nightmare for coach Steve Jenkins: nothing.

Evangel (1-2) will play at Campbellsville (Ky.) on Saturday -- its first game in 12 days. Long layoffs lead to concentration lapses, Jenkins said, that get a team out of its routine.

"We don't like to have that big of a break in our schedule, for sure," Jenkins said. "But as it turned out, we were kind of banged up. It gave us a few days to kind of lick our wounds a little and get our guys feeling better."

Mike Storey (hip), Shane Nicholson (ribs) and Chad Simon (ankle) were all playing hurt in the Crusaders' first three games.

Those injuries have hampered Evangel's offense, which shot 40 percent from the field in its first two games. Jenkins attributed the slump to players struggling to jump and cut as usual because they were not healthy.

But that problem is only getting worse: Simon rolled his other ankle at practice Wednesday, as did Cale Ramsey.

"That's about the last thing we needed," Jenkins said.

Bobcats struggling from field

C of O is shooting only 39 percent from the field, but coach Steve Shepherd isn't worried about the Bobcats.

Shepherd said C of O (5-2) has settled for too many jump shots instead of waiting for teammates to get open on cuts to the basket.

Because the team runs a motion offense that's hard to grasp at first, Shepherd said his teams usually start slow before getting into a rhythm later in the season. That problem is greater this year because his young team boasts only two seniors in the regular rotation.

"It does take a month or two to get in sync," Shepherd said of his offense. "We're not there yet."

Lady Panthers ready to move on

Drury women's basketball coach Steve Harold was glad to start the season with a victory over Northeastern State on Monday. But he's equally happy to put it behind him.

"We can't wait to play the next one," Harold said. "We need to play another game because I didn't think we were sharp."

The Lady Panthers (1-0) shot 42 percent from the field and 3 of 16 from 3-point range. Harold said his team struggled inside, only having nine touches in the post in the first half and being outrebounded 44-35.

"That's just not enough," he said. "We've got to be a little bit better from that standpoint."

Drury plays host to Christian Brothers and Grand Valley State this weekend in the Sleep Inn Classic.