COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University men's basketball team forced 23 turnovers in a 76-67 victory over Tuskegee Saturday afternoon. The nonconference matchup took place inside the Lumpkin Center.

Despite shooting a season-worst 39.3 percent from the field, the Cougars never trailed after the 7:03 mark in the first half.

"You'll always take the victory," commented Columbus State head coach Robert Moore. "We didn't play well on offense at all, but we found a way to score enough thanks to our aggressive defensive play. We had some open looks, but we couldn't connect. It's early in the season so you'll get games like this."

Landrius Horton scored 22 to pace the Cougar offense while Anthony Moore and Bryant Givens added 17 and 12, respectively. Moore added five steals and four assists.

The Cougar offense struggled mightily from distance in the game going 5-for-24 on 3-point attempts.

Columbus State will return to the floor on Monday, Dec. 2 hosting West Georgia inside the Lumpkin Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside the Lumpkin Center.
 

Play-by-Play

First Half

It was a back-and-forth affair early in the contest as the lead changed hands six times over the first 10 minutes of action. After James Eads scored seven straight points for Tuskegee, the Golden Tigers held a 21-17 advantage with 8:28 showing on the clock. However a 7-0 run by CSU, capped off by a Karl Ivey 3-pointer, gave the Cougars a 24-21 advantage. Late in the first half, Jalen Thomas injected life into the Columbus State offense. The senior scored the final seven points for CSU as the Cougars took a 40-32 lead into the break.

Second Half

Columbus State wasn't able to find the fatal blow early in the half. Despite not making their first field goal of the second half until the 14:19 mark, the Cougars were able to extend their lead to 12 (48-36) after Givens broke the drought. The Golden Tigers' final push came shortly after. It was Eads again leading the way fueling a 7-2 run which cut the margin to 51-46. A Landrius Horton 3-pointer would halt the run as Columbus State would finally begin pulling away. A 10-0 run by the Cougars increased the lead to a game-high 17 points at the 4:33 mark following a Moore free throw. CSU would then ice the game from the free throw line.

 

Inside the Numbers

• Columbus State improves to 3-2 on the year. Tuskegee is now 1-3 following its second straight loss. • It was the seventh time in Landrius Horton's career, and the second time this season, that he has scored 20 or more points.  • The Cougars forced a season-high 23 turnovers. • Tuskegee won the rebounding margin 41-35. • Columbus State was 23-of-36 on free throw attempts. Both were season-highs. • Givens scored 10 of his 12 points from the charity stripe.   • The Cougars improved to 13-1 all-time against the Golden Tigers in Columbus. CSU hasn't lost to Tuskegee since the 1994-95 season.