SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The No. 15-ranked and top seeded Columbia College men's basketball is heading back to the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament championship game for the first time since the 2022-23 season. Columbia defeated Central Baptist (Ark.) 78-67 Saturday, sending the Cougars to their 16th conference finals appearance in program history.

The Cougars (27-3) and Mustangs played a back-and-forth first half, with the lead changing hands seven times and the game tied on nine occasions. Trailing by one after a Dalton Alexander III three-pointer put Central Baptist ahead 36-35, Caleb Jones responded with a jumper to tie the game before converting a layup and free throw in the final seconds to give Columbia a 39-36 lead at the break. Jones led the way in the opening half with 11 points, while Max Rieger chipped in seven off the bench.

Columbia wasted no time extending its advantage in the second half. Johnny Anderson opened the scoring with a three-pointer to push the lead to eight, and after Central Baptist briefly cut into the deficit, Jones converted a dunk off a steal to push the margin back to ten. Jemeal Goines kept the pressure on, converting back-to-back layups and a pair of free throws to help Columbia stretch its lead to a game-high 16 points with seven minutes remaining, putting the game out of reach for good. Anderson finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds — his fifth double-double of the season — while Goines posted 14 points and 14 rebounds, his 10th of the year. Jones added 19 points to lead all scorers.

Central Baptist's Tyler Johnson kept the Mustangs competitive with 20 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Columbia's balanced attack.

Columbia awaits the winner of (2) Hannibal-LaGrange University (Mo.) and (3) Williams Baptist University (Ark.) who face off this evening at 7:00 p.m. Tip off for the AMC Finals is set for March 2nd at 7:00 p.m.