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COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University men's basketball team dropped a 95-78 decision against Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday. The Peach Belt Conference game was played inside the Lumpkin Center.
 
JaCori Payne finished with 31 points and five assists on the night, his second straight game with at least 30 points. Marcus Dixon added 11 points as well.
 
"It still comes down to defense with us," head coach Robert Moore said. "We were getting good looks on offense and JaCori had a great night, but we couldn't get stops on the other end."
 
Columbus State (6-13, 6-10 PBC) found itself in a 15-4 hole after five minutes as the Hurricanes started 4-of-6 from the 3-point line.
 
Georgia Southwestern (12-8, 8-8) led by as much as 17 in the first half and took a 38-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The Cougars righted the ship to start the second, opening with seven straight points and a 16-5 run that tied the game at 43. Payne gave the Cougars the lead with a three-point play a minute later, however a quick answer on the other end put the Hurricanes back in front.
 
GSW scored nine unanswered to lead 55-46, but the Cougars weren't done yet. CSU charged back behind 21 second-half points from Payne and got within four with six minutes to go.
 
It was Georgia Southwestern again though that had the answer, keeping the Cougars at an arms length and pulling away down the stretch.
 
CSU ended the night 32-of-73 (43.8 percent) from the field, but was just 5-for-24 from the 3-point line.
 
Columbus State heads out on the road for its next three games, beginning Saturday at Lander. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Greenwood, S.C.