 Sports News Search Classifieds Cougars set for NAIA tourney
March 14, 2000 
Around this time last week, the Columbia College men’s basketball team was doing the St. Louis Rams’ bob-and-weave as the players cut down the nets in celebration of another conference title. This week, it’s back to business and back to Tulsa, Okla. with the start of Columbia College’s second-straight appearance in the NAIA men’s basketball tournament.Unlike last year, the No. 13 Cougars are the higher seed entering today’s first-round matchup. Columbia faces No. 20 Olivet Nazarene University of Kankakee, Ill. at 12:45 p.m. The Cougars also come in riding a four-game winning streak thanks to a tough road victory against a bigger, stronger McKendree College in the American Midwest Conference Tournament finale. Olivet is riding a seven-game win streak of its own capped by a 69-67 victory over St. Xavier in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. The win gave Olivet an automatic bid to the national tournament, its fourth consecutive appearance. “We know there are no weak teams in the tournament,” said All-AMC Cougar forward Brandon Moore. “We’re not focusing too much on the ranking.” The Tigers of Olivet bring in the CCAC’s stingiest defense, which allowed only 64 points per game. They also led the conference in field goal percentage (.509), rebounding (36.5 per game) and assists (23.4 per game). Olivet is led by the conference’s leading scorer in 6-foot-4 senior forward Lee Coomler, who enters the tournament averaging 19.4 points per game. The interior game runs through 6-foot-8 Drew Neal and 6-foot-9 Zach Freeman. The two sophomores put up nearly identical numbers this season. Both are tied for the team’s second leading scorer title (averaging 16.2 points per game), while Freeman holds a slight edge in rebounding, 6.2-6.0. Both are double-double threats on any night, but Columbia College knows a thing or two about facing up against twin towers. The Cougars won two of three against the 6-11 tandem of Mckendree’s Dutchman Ronald VanVelzen and AMC Freshman of the Year Matt Laur. The Tigers also beat McKendree 77-67 on Nov. 9. “We haven’t had too much trouble against bigger teams,” said All-AMC senior forward Lawrence Thomas, the Cougars leading rebounder at 6.45 per game. “We’re a good solid team that complements each other. Where our post play may be struggling, our wing play steps up or vice versa.” Columbia College is led by All-AMC selection Jerrod Thompson, part of AMC’s top 3-point shooting trio in Cougars Eric Hemmer and Armeake Estes. Thompson is the team’s leading scorer at 14.2 points per game, many coming from from beyond the arc. “I’m sure it will be a great game,” said coach Bob Burchard, who is taking his sixth Cougar team to the national tournament. “You’re talking about two teams that know what it is all about. We’re real excited about the opportunity to play this late in the year.”
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