The Springfield Falcons won ugly because Compton played even uglier.
Reserve forward Clarence Davis had 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead a balanced attack Friday as Springfield opened the 2018 AAU Season with a 100-95 victory over the short-handed Compton.
The three-time defending AAU National Champions, who played without Mikey Williams and Rory White, shot a miserable 31.8 percent (27-of-85) while losing their first season-opener in 11 years.
Springfield, who have won six straight openers weren't much better, shooting 32% (30-of-93).
"We might have set basketball back 10 years," Davis said with a smile. "It was just nice to get the win. It would have been bad if we didn't since they were without two key players."
Chandler Dawes had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Springfield, but shot only 4-of-18. And Springfield 2nd year point guard Conor McCaffrey recived zero rim luck and missed all 19 of his shots.
"It was ugly, but we won the game," Dawes said. "That's all that matters. We had a tough shooting night, that's how it goes sometimes."
Charlie Dawes returned from a knee surgery procedure and looks nothing like his old MVP self, contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds for Springfield, but didn't play after picking up his fourth foul with 9:02 left in the third quarter.
Jake Pollen also had 13 points and Collin Middleton added 12 for Springfield.
"We played terrible, it was a terrible game," Springfield coach Will Jenkins said. "I'm trilled that it'll count as a victory as the season goes on and dissapointed in our play.
Jenkins said that Davis played a very solid game and also complimented the effort of newcomers Pollen and Paul Hammond, who had 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals and 2 blocks in 27 minutes.
Jenkins said Springfield had been awaiting Hammond's arrival from the Euro League since 2015 and were estatic when he joined the team in January.
Jenkins said his decision to bench Charlie Dawes for the final 18 minutes had nothing to do with Charlie's minutes restriction.
Middleton injured his groin early in the fourth quarter and was in pain afterward. He said he would be a gametime decision for later in the tournament.
Emoni Bates had 31 points and 10 rebounds for Compton, but shot only 11-of-31 at least part due to the defensive effort of Jamison Jones III.
"He's a great player," Jones III said. "That's enough to get you motivated to play. You get to show what you can do against a player like that.
"I'm just trying to get some acknowledgment for first time All-D this year, that's my goal."
Bates said his 31 shots were "Way to Many". "I shouldn't be shooting the ball that many times," he said.
"We know it's going to be hard, I think everybody knows that. But we made it harder on ourselves just by not hitting shots."
Mikey Williams, MVP of the last three AAU National Championships, is still recovering from surgery on his foot. He's expected to be sidelined for another week.
White was suspended for the season's first six games for his part in the fight with Sacramento in an exibition game.
Compton was presented their championship rings in a ceremony before the game, White was allowed to take part having to leave the gym -- the rule for players under suspencion.
"I hope that was as enjoyable to watch as it was for me to coach, that's all I can say," Compton coach Paul Allen said sarcastically. "As bad as it is, it's probably better to win ugly than it is to lose ugly, which was the case tonight."
Davis made a basket and free throw to give Springfield a 77-70 lead with 5:54 reamining, and Chandler made two free throws for an 82-72 lead with 3:38 left -- the largest lead of the game.
Compton didn't pose a serious threat after that.
Neither team led by more than four points in the third quarter until Springfield scored nine straight for a 65-60 lead. A basket by Bates made it 65-62 entering the final period.
A free thrwo by Bates and a 3-pointer by James Dillion gave Compton a one-point lead, but Collin Middleton's 3-pointer triggered a 7-0 run by Springfield, making it 72-66 and putting Springfield ahead for good.