Laugher at home

Columbia took its first step in defending its American Midwest Conference championship by defeating the under-experienced Pirates 95-69 in front of a capacity crowd at Southwell Gymnasium.

Brandon Moore led the Cougars with 20 points and Jerrod Thompson almost single-handedly turned the game around en route to his 18-point performance coming off the bench.

Thompson immediately made a difference when he was inserted into the game with 17:29 left in the first half with Park leading 6-0.

The guard intensified the defensive pressure for Columbia and ignited the offense with his four 3-pointers, three of them coming from well beyond NBA range.

“Jerrod is the best shooter I’ve ever played with,” said Brandon Moore. “When we get off to a big lead he’s usually the one who starts it off most of the time.”

The Cougars put the game away with a 20-8 run to close out the first half.

“We need to start playing a full game,” Thompson said. “Not so much in spurts.”

The lanky guard displayed his entire repertoire Thursday. He penetrated the lane with ease. His defensive presence made the Park perimeter game self-destruct. He dropped down 3-pointers like rain.

Thompson managed to excite not only his teammates but the crowd as well with his electrifying play.

“He’s something special,” said Lawrence Thomas, the team’s leading scorer from a year ago. “He plays for the team first, but he also plays for the crowd.”

The Cougars, ranked No. 1 in the conference and No. 12 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic poll, are looking to improve on last year’s 0-3 start in conference.

“If you are going to have a chance in a conference race, you have to protect your home court,” said coach Bob Burchard. “We have to do that right off the bat.”

The Cougars struggled defensively early in the game but wound up holding all but one of the Pirates’ scorers to less than 10 points. Forward Fred Manyawu led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Thomas, a 1999 NAIA honorable mention recipient, was double-teamed throughout the night and managed to attempt only two field goals, missing both. He did make 10 of his 12 free throws.

The Cougars’ bench did more than its share. With four new strong recruits, it managed to pour in 46 points.

“I think our strength is in our depth,” Burchard said. “It’s critical to have more players playing at a high level, and I think we took a step towards that tonight.”

Comments? E-mail News or Sports

Back to top     News    Sports    Search    Classifieds