Columbia, Mo. – This afternoon the sixth ranked Columbia College men's basketball team took on Avila (Mo.) University on the second day of the Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic. The Cougars were able to defeat the Eagles by a final score of 82-65 and improved to 7-1 on the season. With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 0-8 on the year.

In the first half of the game, the Cougars found themselves in an early hole as the Eagles were able to jump out to a quick 8-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Columbia College battled back and tied the game at 11, but Avila University knocked down two straight three pointers to take a 17-11 lead midway through the half.

The Cougars were finally able to get their offense going as the half progressed and took the lead after going on a 9-2 run that spanned two minutes. The game went back and forth after Columbia took the lead, but after a huge put back slam by Malik Ray the Cougars were able to finish the half on a 10-6 run and take a 37-32 lead into the halftime break. Columbia College was led by Malik Ray who had eight points in the half.

The Cougars got off to a quick start in the second half when Travis Vogt stole the ball away from the Avila point guard and quickly found Nic Reynolds on the other end for a wide open three point shot. That shot sparked Columbia College on both ends as they were able to extend their lead to 19 with five minutes remaining in the game. The Eagles battled hard to get back into the game but the Cougars locked them down and were able to cruise to their seventh win of the season.

Columbia College had five players in double figures including Nic Reynolds who led the team with 15 points in the game. Additionally, Travis Vogt and Jesse Brown each had 13 points, Preston Whitfield added 12 points, and Malik Ray dropped in 10 points to round out the top scorers for the Cougars.

In the first game of the day, William Penn (Iowa) University defeated Missouri Baptist University by a final score of 103-97. The Spartans were led by Jared White who finished with a game high 22 points and 10 rebounds.

After the conclusion of the final game of the weekend, the 2016 Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team and Most Valuable Player was announced. Two Cougars were named to the team including Nic Reynolds who averaged 19 points and Jesse Brown who averaged 12.5 points throughout the weekend. Additionally, Will Harrington from Missouri Baptist University, Lionel Ellison from William Penn University, and Jacob Anyieth from Avila University were also named to the all-tournament team. Torren Jones from William Penn was named the Most Valuable Player after averaging 24 points and 15 rebounds through both games.

The Cougars are back in action on Tuesday, November 29^th when they take on St. Louis College of Pharmacy in an AMC matchup. The game is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m.