The Owls led by nine points in the first half, but were then outscored by the No. 20 Cougars 43-17 over the final 20 minutes of Thursday night's 72-38 AMC setback.
The loss was the second straight for William Woods University (6-12, 3-7 American Midwest Conference), which shot just 34 percent (14-of-41) for the game and were 0-of-10 from 3-point range. The Owls were only down by eight points, 29-21, at halftime, but made just 6-of-19 shots (32 percent) in the second half.
William Woods dictated play in the early going, building a 21-12 lead on junior guard Patrick Lewis' conventional three-point play with 8 minutes, 46 seconds left in the first half. However, the Owls' offense went flat for the rest of the half and Columbia College rode a 17-0 run into its lead at the break.
Junior forward DJ Johnson finished with a team-high nine points for William Woods, which was also burdened by 21 turnovers. Freshman forward Darrien Dickey was next with six points. Three players had four rebounds apiece as the Owls were outrebounded by a 39-28 margin.
Zach Rockers - who was 7-of-13 from the field - put up a game-high 16 points to spur three players in double figures for the Cougars (15-3, 8-2), who shot 43 percent (26-of-61) as a team and committed only nine turnovers. Tanner Sutton added 13 points and Jackson Dubinski came off the bench to contribute 12.
William Woods returned home for an AMC contest against Missouri Baptist University late Saturday afternoon at Anderson Arena. Results were not available at press time.