Box Score Columbia, Mo. - The 4^th-ranked Cougar men's basketball team took care of business with a 79-65 victory over William Woods University in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night. Columbia, the AMC regular season champion and No. 1 seed in the tournament, improves to 29-2 on the year with the win.

The Cougars connected on their first four possessions to start the game for an early 8-2 lead. The Owls would tie the score at 8-8 just two minutes later and keep things close from there, eventually taking their first lead of the half at 32-31 on a three-pointer by Nate Bitner at the 4:14 mark. With the score tied at 36 entering the final minute of the period, Derrick Dilworth converted back-to-back layups to send Columbia into the locker room with a 40-36 halftime advantage. The Cougars shot 54 percent in the opening period, compared to a 46 percent clip for William Woods.

The Columbia defense came out strong to begin the second half as the Cougars used a 22-2 run to take their largest lead of the game with 10:54 to play. Tanner Sutton and Jeremy Nolen each knocked down a three-pointer during the run and Derrick Dilworth capped things off with a trifecta for a 62-40 lead. The Owls battled back over the remainder of the period, but could get no closer than 12 as Columbia earned their 13^th straight victory dating back to January 23^rd.

The Cougars shot 50 percent on the night, while holding William Woods to 31 percent in the final period and 38 percent for the game. Dilworth led five Columbia players in double figures with 15 points to go along with 11 apiece from Patric Massey and Malik Ray. Sutton and Devin Griffin added 10 points each as well. The Owls' Blake Burgess led all scorers with 17 points.

Members of the AMC All-Academic Team were recognized prior to the start of Thursday's game. Representatives from Columbia included Wendell Crowder, Gerardo Isla, Jeremy Nolen, Patric Massey, Zach Rockers, Chantel Stanciel, and Tanner Sutton.

The Cougars will be off tomorrow before returning to action on Saturday, March 8^th for a matchup with No. 4 seed Park University in the tournament semifinals. Columbia swept the regular season series with the Pirates, including an 85-57 home win back on February 6^th. The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to Tuesday's AMC Tournament Championship game and meet the winner of No. 2 seed Freed-Hardeman and No. 3 seed Lyon. Tip-off for Saturday's semifinal is set for 4:00 pm at the Arena of Southwell Complex.