The 15th-ranked Cougar men’s basketball team saw their season come to an end with an 74-68 loss to No. 17 Our Lady of the Lake University/Texas in the first round of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship on Thursday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium. Columbia finishes the year with a record of 26-7 while the Saints improve to 25-5 with the win.
The Cougars led the entire first half and took a 32-31 lead into the half. The Saints came out hot in the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points to take a four point lead. The Cougars tied it at 39, but OLLU went on a 13-3 run to build a 52-42 lead with ten minutes to play. The closest Columbia would get is five with 28 seconds left.
Columbia shot 44 percent for the game, and turned the ball over 24 times.
