Men’s Basketball Dominates Lyon in AMC Opener

Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia College men’s basketball team defeated Lyon (Ark.), 90-71. The Cougars improved to 6-6 on the season and took home their first American Midwest Conference (AMC) win of the season. Lyon falls to 2-7 and 0-1 in league play.  
 
The Cougars battled with the Lyons from the start, going point for point, trading the lead twice, and tying five times throughout the first half. With two made free throws from Chima Oduocha, the Cougars were able to get a handle on the score. With nine minutes remaining in the first half, the Cougars went on a 14-0 scoring run to lead by double-digits. Columbia went into its locker room with a halftime lead of 40-19.  
 
The Cougars continued to lead throughout the second half. The Scots brought the deficit to 18 with 13 minutes remaining (53-35). A Cole Gerken 3-pointer propelled the Cougars on a 13-2 scoring run and pushed them to their largest lead over the Scots of 33-points (79-46). With just over three minutes remaining in the game, the Scots tried to shrink Columbia’s lead with a 14-1 scoring run, but the Cougars’ lead was overwhelming, and they finished the game with a double-digit victory.
  
Key Moment:
Two free throws by Chima Oduocha gave the Cougars an early lead of 16-14 with 13:00 minutes left in the first half. CC would not trail the rest of the game.  
 
By the Numbers:
48-33 – Columbia had 15 more rebounds than Lyon.
33-26 – CC made seven more field goals than Lyon
12 – Columbia saw 12 different players score in the game.
9- Both teams made nine 3-point shots
7-3 The Cougars blocks compared to the Scots
 
Columbia Leaders:
Scoring Leader – Tony Burks (19)
Rebounding Leader – Collin Parker (10)
Assist Leader – Chima Oduocha / Cole Gerken (3)
Steals Leader – Tony Burks / Trendon Tisdale / Kemryn Jenkins (2)
  
Lyon Leaders:
Scoring Leader – John Paul Morgan (24)
Rebounding Leader – John Paul Morgan (7)
Assist Leader – John Paul Morgan (3)
Steals Leader – John Paul Morgan (2)
 
Socket Player of the Game:

• Tony Burks – 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals 

Up Next:
On Saturday, Dec. 4th, Columbia will travel to Fulton, Mo. to take on the William Woods (Mo.) Owls in an AMC Contest. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM.