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By:
Josh Fuller
COLUMBUS – With its postseason life on the line, the Columbus State University men's basketball team will play its regular season finale Wednesday against Georgia Southwestern. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. inside the Lumpkin Center.
Last Time Out
In a must-win game, the Cougars snapped a three-game losing skid defeating North Georgia 88-82 in Dahlonega.
JaCori Payne led the Cougars with a career-high 34 points going 12-for-16 from the field. The guard was also 5-for-8 from 3. Four other CSU players scored in double figures.
Moore on the Matchup
"The guys know how important this game is. We have played the entire year for this moment so I know we are going to be ready for it. Georgia Southwestern is a well coached team and will give us a fight for sure."
Series History
The Columbus State-Georgia Southwestern rivalry has been tight over the years with the Cougars holding a slim 20-18 advantage. CSU has won the past two meetings in the series.
Last Meeting
In a defensive battle, the Cougars outlasted Georgia Southwestern 60-54 on Jan. 30 in Americus. The game was tied at 38 midway through the second half until the Cougars went on a 12-0 run to gain control of the game.
Darius Joell had 15 for CSU with nine rebounds.
About Georgia Southwestern
Georgia Southwestern is led by former Cougar assistant coach Ben Hicks. Hicks spent four years under CSU head coach
Robert Moore helping the Cougars to two NCAA Tournaments.
The Hurricanes are currently the only team in the PBC West that has been eliminated from PBC Tournament contention. GSW is 7-18 overall and 5-13 inside the conference.
Senior point guard Brandon Price has been a bright spot for the Hurricanes this season. Price is averaging 17.7 points per game, the seventh-most in the league, and has made 49 3s.
The Hurricanes like to play at a slower pace limiting opponents to just 74.8 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the conference.
CSU Notes
The Cougars are currently in limbo with their postseason berth in a six-team jumble. CSU (17-8, 10-8 PBC) is in three-way tie for third place with Young Harris and Clayton State.
Montevallo and North Georgia currently hold the top two spots in the PBC West at 11-7, while Georgia College is still alive at 9-9 in sixth place. All six teams will be in action on Wednesday with GC being the only team playing a non-PBC West team.
The Cougars have done a decent job of taking care of the ball this year committing just 12.5 turnovers per game. That is the third-best mark in the PBC.
Wednesday will be Senior Night for
Arben Camaj and Ryan Burrnett. Camaj has played in 54 career games scoring 500 points, while Burnett has played in all 25 games this season.
Media Coverage
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on NewsRadio 540 WDAK and streamed on CougarSportsTV with CSU Hall of Fame broadcaster Scott Miller on the call.
