COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University men's basketball team will look to end the calendar year on a happy note hosting Lander Saturday afternoon. The Peach Belt Conference game is scheduled to tipoff at 3:30 p.m. inside the Lumpkin Center.
The Cougars will try to shake off a tough 78-76 loss at USC Aiken on Wednesday. After leading for the majority of the game, the Pacers earned a controversial foul call with two seconds showing on the clock to score the game-winning points from the line. CSU hit just three of their final 15 shot attempts. USC Aiken held a wide disparity in free throws going 26-for-35 at the line while the Cougars were just 7-for-11.
Bryant Givens scored 20 for the Cougars going 6-for-8 from three.
Hunter Preston added a season-high 14 points.
"That was a tough loss to take, but we should have never been in that situation to begin with," added head coach
Robert Moore. "The key is bouncing back. We have to turn the page and focus on what is in front of us."
"Lander plays a similar offensive style as us and has been playing great all year. We are going to have to stay true to our assignments on the defensive end of the court and limit the turnovers for us to have a chance."
Columbus State will have some time off following Saturday's game. The Cougars won't be back in action until Saturday, Jan. 4 when Francis Marion visits Columbus.
| CSU |
Stats |
LU |
| 5-4, 0-1 |
Record |
7-2, 1-0 |
| 76.3 |
PPG |
81.4 |
| 73.9 |
Opp. PPG |
74.3 |
| 45.0% |
FG% |
47.5% |
| 46.7% |
Opp. FG% |
42.1% |
| 35.8 |
Rebs/Game |
41.6 |
| 32.1% |
3PT FG% |
33.3% |
| 36.2% |
Opp. 3PT FG% |
32.0% |
| 61.5% |
FT% |
75.4% |
| 13.7 |
Assists/Game |
12.1 |
| 10.7 |
Steals/Game |
7.4 |
| 1.9 |
Blocks/Game |
4.1 |
Game 10
Opponent: Lander
Date: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Site: Lumpkin Center (4,500), Columbus, Ga.
Radio: NewsRadio 540 WDAK - Scott Miller, play-by-play. Mike Sanda, color.
Live Video Stream: Cougar Sports TV
All-time Series: CSU leads 34-19
Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2019, in Columbus (LU 95-90)
About Lander
Lander is off to a great start this season with a 7-2 record after grabbing a road PBC victory over Young Harris on Thursday. The Bearcats out-rebounded the Mountain Lions 52-32 in the 95-85 win. Currently, Lander is on a four-game winning streak.
Deon Berrien (15.4 PPG) leads five Bearcats who average 10 points or more on the year. Elijah Alston is trouble on the glass ranking fourth in the PBC averaging 9.1 rebounds per game in addition to 13 points per night.
As a team, Lander is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation ranking third in rebounding margin (11.8). The Bearcats average 41.6 rebounds per game to lead the PBC as well. Opponents shoot just 42.1 percent from the floor and 32.0 percent from three against the LU defense. Both marks rank inside the top-four in the PBC.
Cougar Notes
• The Cougars will be looking to avoid a three-game losing streak on Saturday. CSU carries a 5-4 overall record into the game.
• At the national level, the Cougars rank 10th in steals per game (10.7), 17th in offensive rebounds per game (14.0), and 19th in turnovers forced per game (18.0).
• Columbus State will be looking to win its fourth straight game inside the Lumpkin Center.
• Against USC Aiken, the Cougars set season-highs in made 3-pointers (15), 3-pointers attempted (29), and 3-point shooting percentage (51.7 percent).
• Six different players connected on a 3-pointer on Wednesday night, including Hunter Preston who was 0-for-2 from beyond the arc entering the game.
• CSU has recorded just one block in five out of the nine games this season. The season-high in blocks for the Cougars in a game is four.
• Despite being held to six points against USC Aiken, Landrius Horton still ranks seventh in the PBC in scoring averaging 17.4 points per game.
Series History
• Saturday will be the 54th meeting all-time between Columbus State and Lander dating back to the inception of the PBC in 1990-91. The Cougars lead the series 34-19.
• For the last two seasons, the two sides have split four games with each winning a pair of games on their home court.
• Over the past decade, the series has been tight with the Cougars holding a slight 7-6 advantage.
