COLUMBIA, Mo. - Columbia College men's basketball opened up their 2026 campaign with a 84-71 victory over John Brown University on Saturday afternoon at home.The Cougars put together another dominant second-half performance to move to 13-2 overall. 

After battling throughout the first half holding just a 30-28 lead at the break. Columbia was able to pull away in the second half, outscoring the Golden Eagles 54-43. 

Jemeal Goines and Caleb Jones led the way for the Cougars. Goines finished with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting while adding six rebounds and three steaks. Jones posted 20 points on an effecient 7-of-10 from the field, including a perfect 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also contributed five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. 

Adam Sausele added 10 points and four rebounds, while Aj Walker chipped in 11 points with a pair of three-pointers and three steals.

Columbia's dominance showed in the second half, where the team shot 55.6% from the field and an impressive 84.6% from the free-throw line. The Cougars capitalized on John Brown's 15 turnovers, converting them into 22 points while committing just six turnovers themselves.

For the Golden Eagles, Donovan Lovelace paced the team with 23 points, shooting 9-of-15. Trae Oetting added 14 points and eight rebounds in the loss. 

The Cougars will get back into conference play as they hit the road on Tuesday, January 6 to face the Trojans of Hannibal-LaGrange. 

NOTES: This is the first ever match-up between the two teams... The Cougars advance to a three game win streak.