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By: Josh Fuller

COLUMBUS – After a thrilling victory inside the Lumpkin Center on Wednesday, the Columbus State University men's basketball team will hit the road to take on USC Aiken Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center in Aiken, S.C.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Cougars outlasted UNC Pembroke 91-88 on Wednesday to improve to 2-1 inside the Peach Belt Conference. CSU used a 13-2 run to take a late double-digit lead over the Braves. UNCP rallied back and made it a one-point game with under two minutes to go, but CSU's defense stood tall clinching the victory. JaCori Payne scored a career-high 31 points, while Darius Joell added 15. Marcus Dixon had 16 rebounds for the Cougars.
 
Moore on the Matchup
 
"USC Aiken is always a tough place to play at. They are a well-coached team and are hungry to grab a big win inside conference play. We will have to be ready and play a clean game at both ends of the court."
 
Series History
 
Saturday's meeting will be the 46th all-time between CSU and USC Aiken. The Cougars hold a 29-16 advantage and have won four of the past six meetings after a dominant stretch by the Pacers.
 
Last Meeting
 
Columbus State rolled to a 74-49 victory over USC Aiken on December 19, 2015 inside the Lumpkin Center. The Cougars outscored the Pacers 37-16 in the first half after limiting USC Aiken to a 22.2 percent (6-for-27) mark from the floor. Brent Jackson scored a game-high 20 points for CSU.
 
About USC Aiken
 
USC Aiken  (6-4, 0-3 PBC) will be looking for its first win in nearly a month after dropping the past three games. The Pacers last win was on December 13 as they defeated Southern Wesleyan 116-60. 
 
The Pacers play at a fast pace ranking third in total field goals attempted per game (66.9) and first in three-point attempts per game (25.2)
 
USC Aiken is one of the best shot blocking teams in the league averaging 5.3 per game.
 
Christian Nobles leads USC Aiken's offense averaging 15.9 points per game. The senior has scored over 20 in three games this year.
 
CSU Notes
 
Columbus State has cracked the top-25 in the nation in scoring offense. The Cougars lead the PBC and now rank 23rd in the nation in scoring averaging 88.3 points per game.
 
The Cougars also rank 12th in the nation in three-point field goal defense limiting opponents to a 29.1 percent mark.
 
Payne moved to fourth in the PBC in scoring after his career night on Wednesday. The junior is averaging 19.5 points per game. Joell also still ranks in the top-10 averaging 17.8 per game.
 
Dixon is second in the nation in rebounding averaging 12.6 boards per contest. The junior has now grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game eight times this year
 
Media Coverage
 
Saturday's game can be heard live on NewsRadio 540 WDAK with CSU Hall of Fame broadcaster Scott Miller on the call.