Men’s Basketball Begins 23-24 Campaign against (RV) Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Avila men's basketball ushered in a new era of the program by facing the first of its many challenging foes scheduled in this non-conference season. (RV) Columbia was one of the top teams in the NAIA last season and is receiving votes to begin this season, and the Cougars (1-0) were as good as advertised against the Eagles (0-1) on Wednesday night, spoiling Tyler Bredehoeft's Avila debut with an 85-48 victory in the season opener for both teams.

Bredehoeft and the Avila coaching staff has put in a lot of work over the last few months to construct almost an entirely new roster – only two Eagles that played last season saw minutes Wednesday in the opener to this season – and it will take time for all the new pieces to mesh together, especially against high-level competition.

Still, even with all those new pieces, Avila was right there in the mix against the Cougars early. Robert Lee tied the game at three early; then Columbia led 5-3 before Jordan Majeed knocked down three straight free throws to put the Eagles in front 6-5 for the first time. Majeed then hit a jumper to counter a three-pointer by Collin Parker, tying the score up at eight apiece with 14:36 to play in the first half.

The Cougars took over from there, though, as the Eagle offense scuffled. Columbia scored the next 12 points over the next four minutes, forcing an Avila timeout, before George Williams finally snapped the skid with a deep ball. But Avila wasn't able to get its offense untracked for the rest of the game, shooting south of 23% from the field on the night, and the Cougars coasted to the 85-48 win.

Parker, Columbia's standout forward, led all players with 18 points and 11 rebounds; Brock Davis scored 13 in 14 minutes off the bench. Jaren Miller led the Eagles with eight points, all of which came in the second half; freshman Matthew Boldt started and scored seven points with five boards and three blocks. A total of ten players made their Eagle debuts.

Up next, Avila will take on its first of many NCAA foes this season when the Eagles make the short trip north into the city to take on the squad formerly known as UMKC this coming Monday, November 6, at 7 PM. Details on how to watch and follow along will be posted on our website, avilaathletics.com.