Columbia, Mo. – This afternoon the sixth ranked Columbia College men's basketball team was back in action when they hosted the St. Louis College of Pharmacy Eutectics in an AMC matchup. The Cougars defeated the Eutectics by a final score of 80-72 improving to 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.
It was a slow start for the Cougars as they did not score their first bucket until about two minutes in, which would tie the game up at 2. Columbia was settling in as they began to create some space. About 10 minutes into the game, the Cougars held a 21-11 lead. Columbia was taking advantage in the paint as all of their points so far were from inside. With about six and a half minutes before the break the Eutectics trailed 28-18, but could not get over that double-digit hump as the Cougars stretched the lead 36-21. However, in the final minutes of the half, the Eutectics cut it back to 10 as it was 37-27. With 4.2 seconds on the clock, Columbia was able to execute off of an inbounds play to maintain the double-digit advantage, 39-27 at halftime. In the first half, the Cougars shot 63 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line.
To start the second half, the Eutectics went on a 9-4 run to put the Cougar lead into single digits as the score was 43-36. The run caused a Columbia timeout about three minutes into the half. Following the timeout, the Eutectics cut the lead to five, 45-40. Over the next minutes, the Eutectics remained right on Columbia's back. With a score of 49-44, the Cougars would call for another timeout. There was just under 10 left in the game while Columbia led 54-51. Columbia found themselves tied at 56 with eight to play. The Cougars began to apply some full court pressure to the Eutectics with six and a half left. The Eutectics would tie the game again 62-62 with under five on the clock. An and-one completion from Malcolm Reed on the next possession gave Columbia the lead back. The Cougars grabbed some quick buckets taking a 67-62 lead, but the Eutectics stayed right in it. A Eutectic timeout was called with 1:25 on the clock as Columbia led 73-68. Steven Holloway would complete a three-point play to give Columbia some extra space, 76-68, with one minute to go. The Eutectics put up a tough fight, but Columbia was able to hold on to secure an 80-72 victory.
Five Cougars were in double-digits tonight including Steven Holloway who had a career-high 18 points, Malcolm Reed had a career-high 14 points, Justin Shaw tied his career-high 14 points, Adam Mennemeyer had 13, and Thibault Benabid had 11. In addition, Mennemeyer and Benabid each grabbed eight boards, while Shaw and Holloway each snagged seven. Braden Wendel also handed out three assists in the contest.
The men's basketball team is back in action on Friday, November 23rd when they host the 25th ranked Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) Blue Raiders in a nonconference matchup in the Hampton Inn Classic. The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. in Southwell Complex.
