Box Score Hannibal, Mo. – This afternoon the fifth ranked Columbia College men's basketball team was back in action when they traveled to Hannibal, Missouri, to take on Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) University in an AMC matchup. The Cougars were able to defeat the Trojans by a final score of 80-77 as they improved to 23-2 on the season and 16-1 in conference play.

Columbia College came out in the first half and had trouble scoring the ball over the first few minutes of the game. The Trojans took advantage of the Cougars miscues and were able to jump out to an early 19-13 lead in the half. Hannibal-LaGrange continued to knock down their shots as the half progressed and were able to take a nine point lead with just over six minutes remaining in the period after going on an 8-0 run. However, the Cougars responded quickly to offensive surge by the Trojans with an 11-2 run of their own to tie the game at 34. Each side exchanged baskets over the next couple possessions but Columbia ended the half on a 5-0 run and took a 44-39 lead into the halftime break. The Cougars were led by Nic Reynolds who had 13 points in the half.

Columbia College was able to carry over their momentum from the end of the first half into the start of the second as they opened the period with a 6-2 run to extend their lead to nine points over the Trojans. Hannibal-LaGrange battled back over the next few minutes and were able to cut the Cougars lead to four with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game, but the Cougars picked up the tempo and extended their lead back to 11 midway through the half. The Trojans continued to battle down the final stretch of the game but every time they would get anything going the Cougars would respond with a big play and were ultimately able to close out Hannibal-LaGrange in the closing minutes to solidify their third straight victory.

The Cougars had several players finish in double figures including Nathan Biggs who finished with a career high 26 points in the game. In addition to Biggs, Nic Reynolds ended with 15 points and Preston Whitfield added 11 points to round out the top performers for Columbia.

The Cougars are back in action Saturday, February 11^th when they travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to take on Missouri Baptist University in an AMC matchup. Columbia defeated the Spartans in their last matchup by a final score of 79-63 in a game that Jackson Dubinski finished with 22 points. The game is set to tip off at 3 p.m.