Columbia, Mo. – Caleb Jones hit a lay-up with 2.7 seconds left to lift the No. 4 seed and 15th-ranked Columbia College men's basketball team to a 74-72 overtime victory over McPherson College in the opening round of the 2026 NAIA National Tournament on Friday at the Arena of Southwell Complex. The game featured 10 lead changes and 13 ties.
After Johnny Anderson tied the game at 62-62 on a three-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation, Korbin Gunn was fouled on a half-court shot with 1.1 seconds left. Gunn missed all three free-throws to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, Jemeal Goines took over as he scored seven straight points and his bucket with 1:58 to play put Columbia up 71-67 with 1:58 to play. Tarrance Austin canned a three with 8.2 seconds left to tie the score at 72-72, Jones followed with the game-winning shot.
Columbia won its 10th-straight game to improve to 29-3, while McPherson had its season come to an end with a 20-10 record.
Columbia takes on No. 12 seed Faulkner on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the NAIA Second Round. All CC students and staff gain free entry with valid CC ID.
Jemeal Goines had seven of his game-high 18 points in overtime and also added 14 rebounds to lead Columbia, while Caleb Jones (15 points) and Max Rieger (14) also scored in double figures. Columbia shot 33.3 percent (26-78) from the field in the win and had a 53-44 rebounding advantage.
Columbia jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the opening five minutes as McPherson missed six of its first seven shots from the field. The Bulldogs responded with an 11-2 run to take a 13-8 advantage.
Columbia then went cold offensively, missing 14 of 15 shots over a six-minute stretch — including 12 straight — as McPherson extended its lead to 19-12 with 6:48 remaining in the first half. During that span, the Cougars made just one field goal in more than seven minutes.
Rieger provided a much-needed spark off the bench, scoring seven straight points to cut the deficit to 23-21 with less than four minutes remaining in the half. He later tied the game on a left-handed layup with 1:04 to play, and Columbia trailed 28-27 at halftime.
Rieger led Columbia with nine first-half points. The Cougars shot 30.8 percent (12-of-39) from the field and made just 2-of-12 from three-point range.
McPherson opened the second half on a 7-2 run to extend its lead to 35-29, but Columbia answered with six-straight point to tie the contest at 35-35. Rieger canned a three from the top of the key to put the Cougars back in front 38-37 with 15:20 to play.
A back and forth second half saw the Cougars tie the contest on a bucket by Goines with 7:28 to play, and then a dunk by Goines and lay-up by AJ walker gave Columbia the 55-54 lead. The Cougars went without a bucket for 4:36, and trailed 60-57 with 1:43 to play.
Gunn had a game-high 19 points on 12-of-16 from the free-throw line to lead McPherson, while Austin (18 points), KJ Marshall (10 points, seven rebounds, five blocks) and Charles Snyder (10 points, eight rebounds) also scored in double figures. The Bulldogs shot 42.2 percent (27-64) from the field and had 10 blocks in defeat.
NOTES: Columbia and McPherson have split six all-time meetings … The double-double for Goines was his 12th of the season … The Cougars have a 14-24 record all-time in the NAIA National Tournament in 25 appearances … Columbia won its 10th-straight home game … The Cougars recorded 29 wins for the first time since the 2015-16 season and ninth time in program history.
