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COLUMBUS – In the final contest before the calendar flips, the Columbus State University men's basketball team will host USC Aiken on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Lumpkin Center.
Live Links
Stats:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/columbusstate/mbball/
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/csucougars/
Audio:
https://www.iheart.com/live/news-radio-540-wdak-3050/
Last Time Out
Columbus State (2-4, 2-1 PBC) trailed by five at the break and ultimately fell 90-81 at Francis Marion on Dec. 19.
JaCori Payne scored 26 points in the loss, while
Marcus Dixon went for 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Moore on the Matchup
"We know USC Aiken is a talented team. They beat us pretty good at their place last year and we know how tough each night is in the Peach Belt Conference. We have to play Cougar basketball and be ready to go for the full 40 minutes."
Series History
Columbus State and USC Aiken will meet for the 48
th time on Saturday, with the Cougars holding a 30-17 edge all-time. The Pacers won seven straight from 2008-12, but CSU has taken five of the last eight meetings.
Last Meeting
The Cougars avenged a regular season loss with an 84-66 victory over USC Aiken in the 2017 PBC Tournament quarterfinals in Columbus.
JaCori Payne scored 18 points, while
Vic Ellis put in a career-high 17.
About USC Aiken
USC Aiken (4-3, 1-2) dropped a pair of conference showdowns heading into the holiday break on a two-game losing streak.
The Pacers fell on their home floor by three points to Clayton State and Georgia College.
USCA is one of the top defensive teams in the Peach Belt, allowing just 71.9 points per game and limiting opponents to 44 percent shooting overall and 22.5 from the 3-point line.
Doniel Dean leads three Pacers in double figures with 17.6 points per game, including a 35-point effort in a win at Georgia Southwestern.
CSU Notes
JaCori Payne became the eighth player in program history to cross the 1,000-point plateau in the last contest at Francis Marion.
If he maintains his 21.3 scoring average for the duration of the season, he would finish his career as the third all-time leading scorer is CSU history.
CSU has been strong on its home floor over the last four seasons, amassing a 37-6 record at Herbert Greene Court.
Marcus Dixon has grabbed 33 rebounds in his last two games and is now fifth in the country at 12.2 boards per game.
