COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University men's basketball team had an early 19-4 run and never looked back as the Cougars defeated Albany State 80-68 Saturday afternoon. The nonconference game took place inside the Lumpkin Center.

Albany State scored the opening bucket of the game, but it was all CSU after that. A Stanley Taylor jumper followed by a Landrius Horton 3-pointer jumpstarted a 19-4 run that gave Columbus State a 19-6 lead just six minutes into the game. Horton had 12 in the spurt while Taylor added the other seven.

"That's how you start a game," stated head coach Robert Moore. "We emphasized all week to the guys that we needed to bring more energy from the tip, and we did that." 

"We played a little reckless with the ball, but we got contributions from everyone today on offense which helped us overcome our turnovers."

Four Cougars scored in double figures led by Taylor's 21 points. The senior was 9-for-14 from the field with three rebounds. L. Horton added 20 while Robert Davis Jr. and Hunter Preston scored 12 and 10, respectively. 

Columbus State shot 51.6 percent (32-for-63) from the floor and 36 percent (9-for-25) from beyond the arc. The Cougars were 7-for-9 from the free throw line.

The Cougars will be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 11 traveling to face off with Tuskegee. CSU defeated the Maroon Tigers 76-67 in Columbus on Nov. 23. Tipoff will be at 8:30 p.m. inside Chappie James Arena in Tuskegee, Ala. 

Play-by-Play

First Half

Albany State's lone lead came after Randy McClure scored the opening basket of the game before the Cougars went on a dominating 19-4 run behind 12 points from L. Horton. Columbus State would continue to build the lead stretching the margin to 28-11 following a successful three-point play by Davis Jr. at the 9:16 mark. The Cougars held a half-high lead of 18, 36-18, before the Golden Rams began to chip away. A 12-0 spurt by ASU cut the score to 36-28 in the closing minute of the half until Chris Horton nailed a 3-pointer to give CSU a 39-28 halftime advantage.

Second Half

The victory was never in jeopardy for Columbus State in the second half with the Cougars holding a double-digit lead for the majority of the half. With CSU's lead hovering around 10, the Cougars strung together a run to put the game to rest. After a Joshua Jerome bucket by ASU made the score 56-45, seven straight points gave the Cougars a 19-point advantage with just eight minutes to play. C. Horton would eventually give Columbus State its largest lead of the night at 69-49 two minutes later thanks to another three ball. Albany State wouldn't threaten for the remainder of the game.

 

Inside the Numbers

• The win gives Columbus State (5-2) a three-game winning streak. The last three-game winning streak for the Cougars came in the early portion of the 2018-19 season.  • The Cougars completed the season sweep of Albany State (4-7). CSU won 67-55 against the Golden Rams in Albany on Nov. 15. • Three Cougars set or tied a season-high in points on Saturday (Taylor 21, Davis Jr. 12, Preston 10).  • It was the third straight game that Landrius Horton scored 20 or more points. He has gone over the 20-point plateau four times already this season. • As a team, the Cougars tied a season-high with nine made 3-pointers. Prior to Saturday, CSU was a combined 9-for-44 from downtown in the previous two games. • Despite being held scoreless, Bryant Givens dished out a game-high seven assists.  • Anthony Moore had seven points, five rebounds, and a season-high six steals.