Columbia, Mo. – Tonight the seventh ranked Columbia College men's basketball team was back in action when they took on Westminster (Mo.) College in a nonconference matchup. The Cougars, who went 2-0 over the weekend at the 2017 Cougars vs. Cancer Tip-Off Classic Presented by Cost Cutters, were able to improve to 3-0 on the year after defeating the Blue Jays by a final score of 86-52.
Columbia College came out in the first half and took it to the Blue Jays early. They were able to break out to a quick 5-2 lead before Westminster was forced to call their first timeout just two and half minutes into the game. The Blue Jays battled back after the timeout and were able to tie the game at eight but an 8-2 run propelled the Cougars to a 16-10 lead midway through the half. Westminster was able to settle in as the game progressed and kept the score close through most of the half but they had a tough time scoring the ball as they went just 8-30 from the field in the period. Despite turning the ball over 12 times in the half, the Cougars were able to take a 45-25 lead into the locker room. Jackson Dubinski led Columbia College with 12 points in the half.
In the second half of the game, the Cougars came out and forced the Blue Jays to turn the ball over on their first possession. They proceeded to score the next five straight points and held a 25 point lead with 17 minutes remaining in the game. Westminster did their best to get back into the game but Columbia College turned up their defensive pressure and forced the Blue Jays to take tough shots as they increased their lead to 40 with eight minutes remaining in the game. The Blue Jays were never able to recover and Columbia cruised to their third win of the season.
Preston Whitfield led all scorers as the reigning AMC Player of the Week dropped in a game high 18 points in the contest. In addition, Jackson Dubinski finished with 14 points and Lucky Ogbomo pulled down a game high seven rebounds.
The Cougars are back in action on Friday, November 10th when they play host to Central Christian College of the Bible in a nonconference matchup. The game is set to start at 7 p.m. in the Southwell Athletic Complex.
