Columbia, Mo. – The 16^th-ranked Cougar men's basketball team defeated NCAA Division III member Westminster College this evening by a score of 69-41 at the Arena of Southwell Complex. The win moves the Cougars record to 4-0 on the season.

Despite shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first half, Columbia carried a 36-23 advantage into the halftime break. The Cougars outrebounded Westminster 29-21 and were led by Nic Reynolds with nine first half points.

Columbia maintained a sizeable lead throughout the second half and led by as many as 30 on their way to the blowout victory as 12 different Cougar players cracked the scoring column.

As a team, Columbia shot 36 percent while holding the Blue Jays to a 25 percent clip. Chantel Stanciel led the balanced scoring effort with 10 points to go along with four rebounds. Jesse Brown and Reynolds chipped in nine points apiece while Malik Ray led the team with 10 rebounds. Columbia also owned a 47-39 advantage on the board and dished out 11 assists on the night, led by Preston Whitfield with a season-high four assists.

Columbia will return to action this Thursday, November 19^th when they host American Midwest Conference (AMC) foe Central Baptist College at 7:30 p.m. As announced this morning, Columbia College will host the opening round men's soccer game and as a result, the men's basketball game on Saturday, November 21^st against Lyon College has been pushed up to 3:00 p.m. at the Arena of Southwell Complex.