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By: Stephen Williams

HARROGATE, Tenn. – An eight-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome for the fifth-seeded Columbus State University men's basketball team as the Cougars fell 94-84 to fourth-seeded Queens on Saturday night. The NCAA Tournament first round contest was played in Tex Turner Arena in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
Brent Jackson led all scorers with 25 points on the night paired together with eight rebounds. Cam Baker finished with 19 points and seven assists. JaCori Payne added 15 and Arben Camaj tallied 12.
 
The Cougars season ends at 21-8 overall. CSU won its first Peach Belt Conference regular season championship in 10 years and made back-to-back NCAA appearances for the first time in a decade.
 
"Tip your hats to Queens for a great effort tonight," head coach Robert Moore said. "We didn't make enough plays in the first half and dug ourselves in a hole. I thought we made a good run at it in the second half, but Queens had an answer every time.
 
"This doesn't take anything away from our year though. This was a great season and we accomplished a lot. We're going to miss our seniors, but now it's time to go back to the drawing board and get ready for next season."
 
The game started in Columbus State's favor as the Cougars raced out to the early lead. Baker got the scoring started for the Cougars and Camaj buried a three to start the game 5-0.
 
Queens (25-6) connected from outside, but CSU continued pouring it in. Baker hit his first three of the night to answer and the Cougars began to create separation. Jackson knocked down his first three of the night to make it 15-7 and his two free throws kept it an eight-point game at 17-9 with 13:28 to go in the first half.
 
The remainder of the half would belong to the Royals. Todd Withers dropped in two straight three-pointers to get QU within two and it was a battle the rest of the way.
 
With the game tied at 31, Queens went on a 7-0 run to force a CSU timeout and open up their largest lead of the game at the time.
 
Columbus State battled back to within four (39-35), however the Royals backed it up with a 7-1 spurt that put the Cougars down double digits. Jackson drained a very long three just before the halftime buzzer to bring CSU within eight at 47-39 at the break.
 
In the second half, the Cougars began making their march with under nine minutes to play. Trailing 70-60, CSU scored six straight points to get within four points for the first time since the first half.
 
Columbus State would get within four points on four separate occasions over the next two minutes. Queens had the answer each time though, scoring on the following possession all four times.
 
QU stretched the lead back out to double figures with 3:19 to play and the Cougars would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
 
Columbus State shot just 41.5 percent (27-for-65) for the game, knocking down 11-of-31 three-pointers. The Cougars finished at 76 percent (19-of-25) from the free throw line.
 
Queens went 30-for-57 (52.6 percent) from the field and 25-of-40 (62.5 percent) from the charity stripe.