Parker’s Career Night Lifts Cougars Past William Woods

Fulton, Mo. – Collin Parker scored 21 of his career-high 29 points in the second half to lead the Columbia College men’s basketball team to an 80-76 win at William Woods University Saturday at Anderson Arena in Fulton, Mo.
 
Columbia won its sixth-straight game to improve to 14-4 (5-1 AMC). while William Woods fell to 10-6 (2-2 AMC). The loss for William Woods was its first at home this season (6-1).
 
Marlon Allen added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Harrison Vickers (13) and Trendon Tisdale (11) also scored in double figures. Columbia hit 24-of-26 (92.3) from the free-throw line in the win.
 
The Cougars started slow from the field hitting 1-of-10 in the opening seven minutes but held a 7-6 advantage. Tisdale’s three ended a drought of almost five minutes without a bucket for either team, and then he drained another triple to push the lead to 13-6. William Woods went without a bucket for 6:57 midway through the first half.
 
The Owls went on a 7-0 run to regain the 18-15 lead with 6:21 left, and then outscored the Cougars 9-3 in the final 90 seconds to take a 38-29 lead at half.
 
Columbia shot just 21.9 percent (7-32) in the first half, but stayed in the contest by hitting 13-of-14 at the free-throw line. Collin Parker had eight points to lead the Cougars.
 
William Woods built a 49-38 lead with 15:15 left after back-to-back threes. The Cougars mounted a comeback and Allen’s three got the lead down to two (60-58), and then his lay-up gave the Cougars a 68-66 lead with 4:42 left. 
 
The game was tied at 73-73 with 1:03 to play, but the Cougars scored five-straight points from the free-throw line to build a 78-73 lead with 10 seconds left. After a three by Gacoby Jones Jr. cut the lead to two with four seconds left, Isiah Holden sealed the win with a pair of foul shots.
 
The Cougars shot 50.0 percent (18-36) from the field and hit 11-of-12 free-throws in the second half.
 
Nate Schwartze (16), Jones Jr. (15) and Francis Okwuosah (15) scored in double figures for William Woods, who outrebounded Columbia 43-36.
 
The Cougars step out of conference play to host Haskell Indian Nations on Tuesday, January 23 at 7 p.m.
 
NOTES: Columbia leads the all-time series with William Woods 29-8 … The Owls had a 23-3 advantage in bench points … The Cougars committed just six turnovers, its 12th time this season with less than 10 turnovers.