Columbia, Mo. – The 2
nd-ranked Columbia College men's basketball team defeated American Midwest Conference (AMC) foe William Woods University this afternoon by a score of 74-59 in the NAIA Network DI Men's Basketball Game of the Week, presented by Stretch Internet. The Cougars improve to 17-2 on the season and 10-1 in AMC play with the victory. William Woods, the NAIA's 25
th-ranked squad in the latest Top 25 Poll, falls to 12-7 and 8-3 in league play with the loss.
The Owls raced out to a 7-2 lead, but seven straight points by the Cougars allowed the team to go ahead 9-7. The score changed hands four times and was tied seven different times, but with the score knotted at 19, the Cougars used a 9-2 run to gain separation at 28-21 and never trailed from there. The Owls pulled within four once with a three pointer by Trey Mitchell, however, that would be the closest that they would come as the Cougars stretched their lead to 13 at the 1:13 minute mark and carried a 43-31 advantage into the halftime break.
Columbia shot 38 percent in the half and was led by
Jackson Dubinski with 12 points. WWU was held to a 36 percent clip and was led by Kevin House with 11 points. The Cougars held a 28-21 advantage on the boards in the half.
The Cougars maintained a double-digit advantage over the Owls throughout the entire second half, leading by as many as 19 on their way to victory. WWU cut the deficit to 10 on one occasion at the 4:12 minute mark, but couldn't get any closer.
Columbia finished shooting 36 percent from the field while holding the Owls to 34 percent shooting. The Cougars also owned a 57-39 advantage on the boards.
Zach Rockers posted his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Dubinski and
Nic Reynolds also finished in double-figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively. The Owls were led by Kevin House with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Prior to the game, Rockers was recognized for two special accomplishments. On December 30
th in a win over Philander Smith College, Rockers earned his 100
th career win as a Cougar. He becomes the 15
th Cougar to be named to the century club and stands with an overall record of 105 wins against just 17 losses.
In addition, earlier this week, Rockers became the 24
th player in Cougar men's basketball program history to score one thousand points. Zach has scored 243 points this season in 19 games for an average of 12.8 a game.
The Cougars return to action, Thursday January 21
st when they travel to Conway, Ark. to take on conference foe Central Baptist College. Columbia beat the Mustangs back on November 19
th by a score of 87-54 at home. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m. at A.R. Reddin Fieldhouse.
