Box Score Columbia, Mo. – This afternoon the Columbia College men's basketball team was back in action when they played host to the Central Christian College of the Bible (Mo.) Saints in a nonconference matchup. The Cougars were able to defeat the Saints by a final score of 100-68 to improve to 7-5 on the season.
In the first half of the game, both sides came out and exchanged baskets early. With the score tied at seven, the Cougars were able to go on an 11-0 run and held an 18-7 lead with just under 14 minutes left to play in the half. The Saints battled back and were able to cut the lead to seven but another run from Columbia gave them a 24-12 advantage midway through the period. The Cougars continued to play well as the half progressed and were able to extend their lead to as many as 15 with just over five minutes to play before the break. Despite being down, the Saints did their best to their best to get back into the contest and were able to cut the score to 42-35 heading into the locker room. Adam Mennemeyer led all scorers with 13 points in the half.
Columbia College came out in the second half and opened the period on an 11-2 run to take a 53-37 lead with just under 16 minutes to play in the game. The Saints answered by scoring the next four points to cut the lead to 12 but the Cougars quickly extended their lead back to 15 with 13 minutes to play in the game. Columbia College continued to shoot the ball well as the half progressed and extended their lead to 86-52 with just under five minutes to play in the contest. The Saints did their best to get back into the game but Columbia College held them off down the stretch to solidify their second straight win.
The Cougars were led by Adam Mennemeyer who had a game high 19 points and added 9 rebounds. In addition to Mennemeyer, Justin Shaw finished with 18 points, Jalen Olds added 14 points, and Thibault Benabid finished with 10 points and a game high 10 rebounds to round out the top performers for Columbia.
The men's basketball team is back in action on Thursday, January 3rd when they travel to Conway, Arkansas, to take on the 18th ranked Central Baptist (Ark.) College Mustangs in an AMC matchup. The game is set to start at 7:30 p.m.
