Box Score Columbia, Mo. - The Cougar men's basketball maintained control of the top spot in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) standings with a tight 70-67 victory over Mid-Continent University on Tuesday night. Columbia improves to 16-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play with the victory, their seventh straight dating back to December 28^th.

Wendell Crowder knocked down a three-pointer on the Cougars' first possession of the opening half as Columbia jumped out to a 16-7 lead after seven minutes of play. The Cougars of Mid-Continent battled back to take a brief 21-19 lead midway through the frame, but Columbia's Marcus Whitt would connect on a pair of three-pointers over the next two minutes to help the Cougars regain the lead on their way to a 39-35 halftime advantage. MCU shot 56 percent from the floor in the first period compared to 41 percent for Columbia, who was led by Whitt with 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting from three-point range.

The Cougars used a 13-5 run during the first six minutes of the second half to take their largest lead of the contest at 53-40. Mid-Continent rallied over the next five minutes to cut their deficit to single digits and eventually made it a one-possession game on a layup by Joe Gilmore at the 4:59 mark. Columbia would stretch their lead back out to nine on their next two possessions as Jeremy Nolen converted a three-point play and Devin Griffin hit a three-pointer for a 66-57 advantage. However, MCU was able to make one more run down the stretch and pull within two at 66-64 with 1:59 remaining in regulation. Griffin would hit a layup on the following possession and Tanner Sutton put the Cougars up by five with a pair of free throws with 13 seconds to play, helping Columbia preserve the win.

The Cougars finished the game at a season-low 38 percent from the field, but managed to outrebound Mid-Continent 43-36 on the night. Nolen led four Columbia players in double figures with 16 points to go along with 14 points off the bench from Whitt. Griffin and Sutton each added 11 points, while Patric Massey and Chantel Stanciel finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and seven assists, respectively. MCU was led by Gilmore with a game-high 24 points.

In Tuesday's latest release of the NAIA Men's Basketball Top 25 Poll, the Cougars fell one spot to No. 4 in the rankings behind No. 3 Cal State San Marcos, No. 2 SAGU (Texas), and top-ranked Pikeville (Ky.) College. American Midwest Conference newcomer Freed-Hardeman University (11-0, 5-0 AMC) jumped up five spot(s) to No. 6, setting up a top-10 conference showdown with Columbia on Saturday, January 18^th. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm in Henderson, Tenn.