Cougars hold on for first win of 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia Cougars got their second win of the season and first of 2010 tonight after defeating Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College by a score of 56-53. Tonight’s game marked the end of the first day of the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic presented by Cost Cutters. The Cougars improve to 6-9 on the season with the victory, while the Wildcats from Culver-Stockton fall to 2-11 overall.
Columbia fell behind by as many as eight in the first half and trailed 28-26 at the break. The two teams traded the lead seven times in the first twenty minutes as the Cougars shot just 32 percent from the field. The Wildcats went 11-for-26 (42 percent) from the field but committed 10 turnovers.
The Cougars took a 40-37 lead with just under nine minutes remaining when Kaleb Turner hit a three. Turner’s basket would give Columbia the lead for good, however the Wildcats pulled within one point with 20 seconds remaining. Turner was fouled with 14 seconds on the clock and was able to give the Cougars a three-point lead after draining both attempts from the charity stripe. Both of Culver-Stockton’s three-point attempts fell short as time ran out.
Turner led the Cougars with 16 points, nine of which came from the free-throw line. Reo Quarles and Josh Davis finished with eight points apiece.
In earlier men’s action, Graceland (Iowa) University defeated William Woods (Mo.) University 80-52.
Action continues tomorrow in the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic. At 2 p.m., William Woods will meet Lyon in a women’s showdown. The William Woods men’s squad will take on Culver-Stockton College at 4 p.m. At 6 p.m., the Lady Cougars will take the court vs. Missouri Valley College women’s squad, and at 8 p.m., the Cougars will square off vs. Graceland University.