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James Caldwell planned for his 704th Military Intelligence Brigade team to open the 2012 Division I intramural basketball season by hitting the court running and working out the kinks as they developed.

However, early on in Monday's season-opener against the 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera), 704th players experienced more kinks than success as they were forced to overcome a 15-point deficit in a come-from-behind 41-39 victory. Richardo Sanchez led the 704th's comeback charge with a 10-point second-half.

The 704th closed out last season with a long playoff run that ended with a third-place finish, but the team needed to rebuild prior to the season-opener at Murphy Field House. While many of the role players from last year are still on the roster, last year's core -- including the top scorer -- is no longer with the team.

"We're still looking like a solid team," Caldwell said. "We're deeper than we were last year. We're looking for new players to step in and fill those roles we lost last year."

Caldwell's biggest concern was that the team lacked a slasher, somebody who could drive to the basket while still having success from the perimeter. But Caldwell was confident his team could fill the missing holes and have a successful season if they played as a team.

"We have to play as a unit; we can't play as individuals," he said. "If we play as a team, I don't think anybody on the court can stop us."

Coach Calvin Reed and Combat Camera had the first attempt to try and stop the confident 704th. Last year, Combat Camera finished the season slightly above .500. But much like the 704th, the team was looking to fill holes created by departures.

"We're just going to kind of plug and play," Reed said of the early season strategy.

While the team didn't have set strategies, Reed had three expectations of his team: "Take care of the ball, no turnovers and hustle," he said.

Combat Camera struggled early on in the first half, but began to follow Reed's instructions to take the lead. The 704th came out to a quick lead by working the ball around the perimeter, but Combat Camera fought back to tie at 10.

Despite a short bench of only six players, Combat Camera pulled away by attacking in the paint to draw fouls and hauling down rebounds while tightening its defense. The 704th offense registered 10 points during the first four minutes of the game, but the Combat Camera defense held them to only 4 points in the final 16 minutes of the first half.

Chad McManus' 12 points from behind the three-point line helped Combat Camera carry a 29-14 lead into halftime. Caldwell's 8 points were a team high as the 704th struggled shooting from the outside, but was unable to fight through the Combat Camera defense and drive to the net.

The Combat Camera lead was cut as the 704th opened the second half on a 7-0 run to come within 8 points. The 704th's comeback began by creating a net presence led by Sanchez, who put up 8 points from the paint in addition to drawing multiple fouls.

A stingy 704th defense held Combat Camera to just 5 points during the first 14 minutes of the second half to tighten the score to 34-31.

With three minutes left in the game, the 704th created a crucial turnover off a miscue by the Combat Camera offense. A backcourt pass was intercepted, and a Derwinn Walker layup gave the 704th its first lead of the night, 37-36. Combat Camera was unable to catch the 704th, which pulled out a 41-39 victory.

Sanchez's 10 points and Carlos Rivera's 9 led the 704th's second-half comeback charge, while Combat Camera's Reed and Atiba LaRoche led their team with 3 points in the second half.

McManus scored a game-high 14 points while Joe Joynt scored another 12 points for Combat Camera. Sanchez and Caldwell led the 704th with 12 points each.

The second-half comeback was due to a "gut check" at halftime, Caldwell said, which caused the team to step up defensively and play smarter.

"We're grateful for the win, but we're not happy with how we played," he said "We could have played a lot better."

Walker said defense would need to be the team's focal point for the remainder of the season after allowing 29 points in one half, but the hard-fought win gave players confidence.

"We're liking where we can go, but we know we have to be a lot better to be where we want to be," Caldwell said.