Columbia, Mo. – The 9^th-ranked Columbia College men's basketball team captured their 4^th American Midwest Conference (AMC) tournament Championship in five years this evening with a 77-74 victory over William Woods University on Bob Burchard Court at Southwell Complex. Columbia will head to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament with a record of 28-5. The win is also the Cougars 17^th straight over the Owls, dating back to Jan. 22^nd, 2009.

The game was tightly contested throughout the first half as the lead changed hands nine different times. Neither team would be able to gain separation, until a 7-0 run by the Cougars allowed the squad to go ahead 33-27 with 5:59 remaining in the half. Columbia maintained the lead for the remainder of the frame, and carried a 42-33 advantage into the halftime break. The Cougars shot 43 percent and outrebounded the Owls 25-18 while WWU shot 42 percent from the field.

Back-to-back threes by the Owls cut the deficit to three at 44-41 early in the second half. WWU eventually battled back to tie the game at 46 on a three by Trey Mitchell at the 15:19 minute mark. Columbia responded with a 7-0 run that included a three by Jackson Dubinski to go ahead 53-46.

After trading baskets, the Cougars used five straight points, capped off with a three by Preston Whitfield to extend their lead to double-digits at 60-48 at the midway point. The Owl's Austin Lowery hit a three of his own, making it a nine point game, but Whitfield wasted little time as he drained yet another three to make the score 63-51.

Columbia continued to lead by double-digits until back-to-back threes by Kevin House and a three by Trey Mitchell cut the deficit to two at 71-69 with 3:59 left to play. The Owls made it a one point game at 72-71 with two made free throws by Mitchell, but Zack Rockers would make two-of-two at the charity stripe to give Columbia the 74-71 advantage with just over a minute left to play.

The Owls didn't back down from there as Bryan DeGeare rushed down the floor and made a three to tie the game at 74, but Chantel Stanciel drove to the basket for a layup to give CC the 76-74 advantage. The Owls had one last chance at a play as there were just 16 seconds left on the clock, but their three point shot fell short, allowing Columbia to pull away with the 77-74 win.

The Cougars finished shooting 42 percent for the game while the Owls shot 45 percent from the field and 52 percent from beyond the arc. Rockers and Malik Ray led the Cougars with 12 points apiece while Stanciel chipped in 11 points. Rockers also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to help the Cougars finish with a 43-31 advantage on the boards.

The Owls were led by Mitchell with a game-high 20 points while DeGeare and House finished with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

With tonight's win, Marcus Whitt and Chantel Stanciel become the most winningest players at Columbia College with a 121-16 overall record.

Following the contest, members of the AMC All-Conference squads were recognized. Sophomore Nic Reynolds was named to the first team, senior Rockers was selected to the second team and Stanciel was named to the third team.

Reynolds currently leads the team averaging 15.2 points per game. Nic has scored in double figures in 26 games of 33 games played this season including a career-high 28 points against Park back on Feb. 25^th. Additionally, he leads the team with 95 made three pointers and a 0.405 shooting percentage beyond the arc.

Rockers, a 6-4 forward from Centertown, Mo., averages 12.9 points per game and leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. Earlier this season, Zach became the 24^th player in Cougar men's basketball program history to score one thousand points back on Jan. 14^th against Park University and now stands at 1,202 career points.
Stanciel, a 5-11 guard out of St. Louis, Mo., averages 8.4 points a game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. Pep has posted 928 career-points, 425 rebounds, and 455 assists. He is currently the third all-time leader is career assists.

For a complete list of all the award winners, visit www.amcsportsonline.com.

The Cougars will be idle until the NAIA National Tournament, which will take place in Kansas City, Mo. from March 16-22. The national tournament bracket and pairings will be announced on Wednesday, March 9^th at 6:00 p.m. Check back with www.columbiacougars.com for the latest Columbia men's basketball postseason schedule and information.