Box Score Columbia, Mo. - The sixth-ranked Cougar men's basketball team picked up an 85-57 victory over conference foe Park University on Thursday night at the Arena of Southwell Complex. With the win, Columbia improves to 21-2 overall and 12-1 in American Midwest Conference (AMC) action.

The Cougars jumped out to an early 17-7 lead on back-to-back layups by Chantel Stanciel and led by as many as 15 in the early going. The Pirates came back to the cut the lead to seven towards the end of the period, but Columbia would extend their lead back to double digits at 40-30 at the halftime break.

Devin Griffin would take over on offense for the Cougars to begin the second half, scoring ten straight points as Columbia stretched their lead out to twenty at 52-32 just three minutes into the period. Columbia led by as many as 34 over the remainder of regulation as they cruised to their fifth consecutive win.

Griffin led the way for the Cougars with a game-high 26 points, including 17 in the second half. Stanciel and Jeremy Nolen also finished in double figures with 12 points each for Columbia, who shot 54 percent from the field and received scoring contributions from 10 of 11 players for the game. The Cougars held Park to a 37 percent shooting clip and limited AMC-leading scorer Xavielle Brown to eight points on the night.

Columbia will hit the road for their next game on Saturday, February 8^th at conference foe Lyon College. The Cougars came out on top 57-52 in the first matchup between the two squads back on January 4^th. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm in Batesville, Ark.