Cougars Rebound with Road Win at Williams Baptist

Walnut Ridge, Ark. – Isaiah Holden scored a career-high 16 points and hit the game-winning shot with 1.7 seconds left to lift the Columbia College men’s basketball team to a 77-75 win at Williams Baptist University Saturday at the Southerland-Mabee Center in Walnut Ridge, Ark.
 
Columbia improved to 17-5 (7-2 AMC) with the win, while Williams Baptist suffered its third-straight defeat and fell to 9-9 (2-6 AMC). The Cougars outrebounded Williams Baptist 47-33 and hit 20-of-28 (71.4 percent) free-throws in the win, including the final 12 attempts.
 
Marlon Allen recorded his fifth double-double off the year with 13 points (9-9 FT) and 16 rebounds, while Harrison Vickers (12) and Collin Parker (11) also scored in double figures. The Cougars outrebounded Williams Baptist 47-33.
 
Williams Baptist led 13-6 in the opening 5:22 as the Cougars missed nine of their first 12 shots from the field. Following a 30-second timeout by Columbia, the Cougars answered with a 7-2 run to trim the lead to 15-13.
 
A three-pointer by Trever Moore cut the advantage to 23-21, and then Allen’s three-point play highlighted a 17-0 run to give the Cougars a 38-28 lead with 1:06 left before half.
 
Parker had nine points and Beau Washer had seven as the Cougars took a 38-30 lead to halftime. Columbia limited Williams Baptist without a bucket for over six minutes late in the first half. The Cougars shot 41.7 percent (15-36) from the field in the first half.
 
Parker’s bucket with 16:02 left in the second half pushed the advantage to double figures at 46-35, but seven-straight points by the Eagles trimmed the lead to 46-42.
 
Williams Baptist tied the game at 55-55 on a pair of free-throws by Rico Quinton, and then he converted another pair from the charity stripe with 8:00 to play to highlight the 11-0 run and gave the Eagles a 62-55 lead. The Cougars went without a bucket for 2:50 during the run.
 
Columbia answered with an 8-0 run to get the lead back at 63-62 with 5:58 to play after a pair of free-throws by Allen. Ben Keton converted three free-throws with 20 seconds left to tie the game at 75-75. 
 
Ashton Young (21 points), Keton (19), Quinton (14) and Duke Hardin (10) scored in double figures for Williams Baptist, who shot 40.6 percent (26-64) from the field and hit nine threes.
 
The Cougars return home to host Missouri Baptist on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
 
NOTES: Columbia has won nine-straight meetings against Williams Baptist and leads the all-time series 45-6 … The Cougars received four votes in the NAIA Top-25 Poll.