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ALBANY, Ga. – The Columbus State University men's basketball team dropped its season opener on Friday 73-62 to former Peach Belt Conference rival Montevallo. The nonconference game was played at Albany State.
 
JaCori Payne led all scorers with 25 points in the game. Marcus Dixon finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Rudy Winters added 10.
 
"Tonight was disappointing," head coach Robert Moore said. "We got off to a strong start and just weren't able to sustain it. We'll use this as a learning experience and look to bounce back against Albany State."
 
The Cougars came flying out of the gate with Payne scoring the first five points and Cam Paulding capping a 7-0 start.
 
A 7-0 Falcon run gave Montevallo (2-3) its first lead of the night eight minutes in and the game began to seesaw back and forth.
 
Columbus State carried a 31-29 lead into halftime after shooting 47 percent over the first 20 minutes.
 
The Cougars trailed for just 16 seconds over the first eight minutes of the second half, but Montevallo edged back in front at the 11-minute mark and never trailed again.
 
A 13-0 run stretched UM's lead out to double digits and CSU would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
CSU shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) for the game, going 6-for-23 from outside.
 
Columbus State will take on Albany State on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.