Kyle Rausch led Park in scoring for a second-straight game, posting 13 points in the Pirates' 72-44 win over Columbia at Breckon Sports Center.

Box Score | Final Stats (PDF)

PARKVILLE, Mo. – Kyle Rausch had 13 points and Herschel Rodgers added 12 to push No. 24 Park University to a 72-44 victory over 2008-09 NAIA runner-up Columbia College Saturday at Breckon Sports Center in Parkville.

Park (16-7, 9-1 AMC) used a smothering defense to secure the 28-point win, forcing Columbia (9-16, 3-6) into 26 turnovers and 33.3-percent shooting as a team. Aleksander Eric led the Cougars with 14 points in the game, and despite the loss, the Cougars outrebounded the Pirates, 35-33.

The Pirates opened the game on a 17-4 run over the game’s first eight minutes, and with 10:05 left in the first half, Travis Fairley knocked down a jump-shot to put the Pirates up 14, 20-6.

Columbia kept the lead at 14 on a Quintin Totta lay-up with 7:42 in the first half to make it 24-10, but Park used an 11-0 run to provide the game’s deciding gap, going up 35-10 with 3:50 left in the half on a pair of foul shots by Rausch.

Park took a 37-15 lead to intermission, marking the lowest first-half total by any Pirate opponent in 2009-10, and out of the break, Terrell Dyer buried a three to make it a 25-point game, 40-15. Columbia used an 8-2 run to cut the Pirate lead to 19 five minutes later, but on its next possession, with 14:33 to go, Park got a three from Goldeng Deng to make it 45-23.

The Pirates would lead by more than 20 the rest of the way, taking their first 30-point lead with 9:07 to go on a three by Philip Garnett that made it 57-27, and Eduardo Quintero gave the team its biggest lead of the game with 5:53 left, draining a jumper to make it 64-31.

Columbia did finish the game on a 13-8 run, but late in the game, Rudy Harper had the Pirates up 32 with a three at the 1:40 mark, extending the lead to 72-40.

Park finished the game shooting 42.9-percent as a team, including 8-of-19 from outside the 3-point arc, 42.1-percent, and the Pirates had 12 of their 16 players score in the game. Rausch led the Park rebounding attack, grabbing nine boards.

The Pirates return to action next Saturday, Feb. 13, in a non-conference rematch with Central Bible College at Breckon Sports Center with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Park defeated Central Bible, 86-48, Nov. 13 in Springfield, Mo.

Park’s next conference contest is Feb. 16 at home against Harris-Stowe State, and both games can be seen live, online, at www.park.edu/sportslive, with live statistics for both contests available at www.parkathletics.com/livestats.