Fulton, Mo. - The Cougar men's basketball team won their sixth consecutive game on Thursday night, defeating American Midwest Conference (AMC) opponent William Woods University by a score of 72-38. Columbia, ranked No. 20 in Tuesday's latest release of the NAIA Top 25 Poll, moves to 15-3 overall and 8-2 in league play with the victory. With the win, the Cougars also improve to 15-1 all-time against the Owls.

The Cougars got off to a slow start offensively as they trailed 18-10 midway through the first half.  However, they would find their groove over the remainder of the half as they used a 19-3 run to take the 29-21 advantage into the halftime break. The Cougars outrebounded the Owls 19-14 in the opening period, while shooting 35 percent from the field while William Woods hit a 36 percent clip. Zach Rockers led all players with eight points and four rebounds in the first half.

Columbia continued to dominate the game, as they outscored the Owls 43-17 in the final half to pick up their sixth straight victory.

The Cougars shot 43 percent on the night, while holding William Woods to 34 percent for the game. Columbia also finished with a 39-28 edge on the boards. Rockers led three Columbia players in double figures with 16 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Tanner Sutton added 13 points and Jackson Dubinski chipped in 12 points to round out the scoring. Sutton also handed out a game-high four assists.

Columbia will return to action on Saturday, January 17^th when they travel to American Midwest Conference (AMC) foe Benedictine University-Springfield. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Springfield, Ill.