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By:
Josh Fuller
COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University men's basketball team will return to the court from a 10-day break to take on Auburn Montgomery Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. inside the Lumpkin Center.
Last Time Out
The Cougars evened their Peach Belt Conference record at 1-1 defeating Augusta 86-80 in Columbus on December 19. With the game tied at 69 late in the second half, the Cougars went on an 8-1 run to break the game open.
JaCori Payne scored a career-high 27 points, while
Darius Joell added 21. The Cougars made 11 threes tying a season high.
Series History
Saturday will be the first meeting between Columbus State and Auburn Montgomery as members of NCAA Division II.
Moore on Matchup
"This is an important game for us," said Moore. "We have to shake off the rust quickly because we want to build momentum heading back into conference play. AUM is a very talented team and has been playing much better of late. They will be a tough test for us with their size."
About Auburn Montgomery
Auburn Montgomery will enter Saturday's game with a 4-10 record after suffering a five-point loss to West Alabama Thursday.
Before the loss, the Warhawks were on a three-game winning streak with wins against Albany State, Saint Leo and Florida Southern, all on the road.
AUM has a trio of players averaging more than 10 points per game. Desmond DeRamus paces the team averaging 14.8 points per game, while Romoane Eager and Darrion Taylor both averaged 11.2.
DeRamus also leads the Warhawks in rebounding pulling down 7.6 per game. He has four double-doubles this year.
The Warhawks are currently transitioning to become a NCAA Division II member from the NAIA ranks. AUM is currently in its first year of a three-year transition period.
CSU Notes
Columbus State is currently 7-1 and tied with Montevallo for the best winning percentage in the Peach Belt Conference (.875).
The Cougars are currently on a 16-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents. The last loss for the Cougars against a non-conference foe inside the Lumpkin Center was against Southern Poly Tech on December 31, 2011.
JaCori Payne and
Darius Joell are becoming one of the best scoring duos in the PBC for the Cougars. Payne is averaging 18.3 points per game, while Joell is averaging 18.1. Both players are inside the top-10 in scoring in the league.
In his first two PBC games, Joell is averaging 26 points a contest. Joell scored 31 against Flagler and followed it up with 21 the last time out against Augusta.
Marcus Dixon still leads the PBC in rebounding averaging 12.3 rebounds per game. Dixon has six games this year with double figure rebounds, the second most in the PBC.
Media Coverage
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on NewsRadio 540 WDAK with CSU Hall of Fame broadcaster Scott Miller on the call.
