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PEMBROKE, N.C. - The Columbus State University men's basketball team dropped a close one in the final minute as UNC Pembroke came away with the 71-64 win.
Jalen Thomas led all scorers with 22 points including four three-pointers, which all came in the second half as he added on four rebounds and two assists. Landrius Horton finished with his sixth double-double of the year tacking on 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The Cougars had numerous chances down the stretch to steal one on the road but they couldn't quite get over the final hurdle. Horton grabbed what was his ninth offensive rebound at the time and was sent to the line for two free throws with 3:10 left as the Cougars trailed by two. But from that point on CSU went just 3-10 from the free throw line. Four separate trips to the line saw the Cougars with a chance to tie or take the lead but each time they fell short which allowed the Braves to pull away in the final minute.
"This was a tough loss for us knowing the chances we had and how strong the conference is," said head coach Robert Moore. "I loved how well our team played to put us in a position to win, unfortunately the bounces didn't go our way down the stretch but we'll regroup for Monday."
The Cougar defense has been stellar in three straight first halves as they held UNC Pembroke to just 26 points tonight in the first 20 minutes of action. They controlled the glass as well, out-rebounding them by four, including grabbing 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. Both teams struggled from deep early on but finally started to heat up in the second half.
Thomas got things going by hitting three three-pointers along with Horton hitting another to give CSU a four-point advantage in the first six minutes of the second half. The two teams continued to trade buckets as the half progressed with the game being tied nine times and the lead changing another nine times.
With 1:00 remaining Horton got fouled and was sent to the free throw line as the Cougars trailed by one. After making the first to tie he missed the second and Xavier Williams picked up a foul on the rebound which sent UNC Pembroke to the line. They made both free throws and proceeded to finish the game on a 7-0 run.
Columbus State shot 37.1 percent (23-for-62) from the field and 6-of-21 from behind the arc. They finished just 12-for-23 from the free throw line for 52.2 percent.
Columbus State heads to Francis Marion this upcoming Monday to take on the Patriots. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
