Columbia, Mo. - The Columbia men's basketball team picked up an 85-61 win vs. conference foe Missouri Baptist on Saturday night at the Arena of Southwell Complex for their fifth straight victory. With the win, the Cougars improve to 14-3 overall and 7-2 in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) while the Spartans drop to 3-13 on the year and 2-7 in league play.

Columbia dominated the contest from start to finish, racing out to a 17-4 lead just five minutes into the first half. Behind 18 first half points from Zach Rockers, the Cougars took a 47-26 lead into the halftime break after shooting 52 percent from the field in the opening period. The Columbia defense held Missouri Baptist to a 34 percent clip in the first 20 minutes. The Cougars led by double digits throughout the final 20 minutes as they cruised to their fifth straight victory.

The Cougars connected on 15 of 30 attempts from the floor in the final period to finish at 47 percent for the game led by a career high 29 points from Rockers to go along with 16 points from Tanner Sutton. Rockers also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds while Chantel Stanciel gave out a career-high nine assists.

Columbia will return to action on Thursday, January 15^th when they travel to American Midwest Conference (AMC) foe William Woods University. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Fulton, Mo.