Columbia, Mo. - The Columbia College Cougars surged in the second half to defeat visiting Evangel University 77-60 on Tuesday afternoon at the Arena of Southwell Complex.

After taking a narrow 31-26 lead into halftime, Columbia turned up the intensity in the second half, outscoring the Valor 46-34 to pull away for the comfortable victory.

Three Cougars finished in double figures, led by Jemeal Goines with a game-high 20 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting. Goines also contributed six rebounds and two assists in the winning effort.

Caleb Jones added 17 points, going 5-of-10 from the field and a perfect 7-of-11 from the free-throw line. Jones also dished out three assists and came up with three steals.

Adam Sausele recorded a double-digit scoring performance with 11 points while leading all players with eight rebounds. Johnny Anderson chipped in nine points and grabbed six boards.

Max Rieger provided a spark off the bench with eight points, while AJ Walker tallied five points and a team-high five assists.

Columbia's defense took over in the second half, converting 16 Evangel turnovers into 21 points while establishing dominance inside with a 50-20 advantage in paint scoring.

The home team also controlled the glass, finishing with 38 rebounds to Evangel's 37, and limited the Valor to just 38.6% shooting from the field.

The Cougars shot 58.6% from the field in the second half after a slow start in the first half. The hot shooting and aggressive defense created separation as Columbia built their largest lead of 22 points late in the game.

Evangel (9-4) was led by Jacob Lafferty's 23 points, including 8-of-12 shooting and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. However, the Valor's leading scorer Drew McMillin was held scoreless, going 0-for-6 from the field.

With the win, Columbia advances to 11-2 on the season while the Valor falls to 9-4. 

The Cougars will head to St. Louis to take on Missouri Baptist on Friday, December 19 at 6:00 p.m. with hopes to avenge their early season loss.