COLUMBUS - Fresh off a key Peach Belt Conference victory, the Columbus State University men's basketball team will look to carry its momentum on the road as they travel to face off against North Georgia on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside the UNG Convocation Center in Dahlonega.
The Cougars (8-5, 3-2 PBC) moved above .500 in Peach Belt Conference play for the first time this season with an 84-79 win over UNC Pembroke. The Cougars used a late 12-1 run after trailing for the majority of the game to grab the come from behind victory.
Hunter Preston was pivotal with a career-high 24 points off the bench for the Cougars while
Landrius Horton posted his third double-double of the year with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
"Every game is critical, and they become more important after getting key wins like Saturday's," commented head coach
Robert Moore. "We have to keep playing with this sense of urgency because every team in this league can knock you off."
"North Georgia can always put up points at home and the guys are going to have to bring the effort on the defensive end of the court to get stops."
Due to technical conflicts, audio for Wednesday's game can be heard on CougarSportsTV.
| CSU |
Stats |
UNG |
| 8-5, 3-2 |
Record |
7-7, 2-4 |
| 80.1 |
PPG |
72.4 |
| 76.0 |
Opp. PPG |
73.2 |
| 46.7% |
FG% |
45.3% |
| 46.0% |
Opp. FG% |
42.8% |
| 35.5 |
Rebs/Game |
36.4 |
| 35.0% |
3PT FG% |
35.8% |
| 35.5% |
Opp. 3PT FG% |
33.2% |
| 64.8% |
FT% |
56.7% |
| 14.4 |
Assists/Game |
14.8 |
| 9.8 |
Steals/Game |
7.2 |
| 1.8 |
Blocks/Game |
2.2 |
Game 14
Opponent: University of North Georgia
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Site: UNG Convocation Center (3,600), Dahlonega, Ga.
Audio: CougarSportsTV - Scott Miller, play-by-play.
Live Video Stream: Nighthawk Sports Network
All-time Series: CSU leads 16-13
Last Meeting: Feb. 6, 2019, in Columbus (CSU 86-76)
About North Georgia
North Georgia (7-7, 2-4) is coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since the beginning of the season following a 90-80 win over Georgia College on Saturday. The Nighthawks also grabbed a 72-65 overtime victory at Georgia Southwestern on Jan. 8.
A trio of Nighthawks average over 11 points on the season with KJ Jenkins leading the way with 13.4 per game. Ephraim Tshimanga (12.0 PPG) and Zezmon Steeple (11.8 PPG) are also scoring threats with Tshimanga ranking sixth in the league by averaging 6.7 assists per game.
UNG has been a tough defensive team all season long allowing just 73.2 points per game, the best mark in the PBC. The Nighthawks also rank second in opponents' field goal percentage (42.8 percent).
Cougar Notes
• Columbus State is searching for its first four-game winning steak since Nov. 2018.
• The Cougars haven't won four straight PBC games since the 2016-17 season.
• At the Division II level, the Cougars rank 12th in steals per game (9.8). Individually, Bryant Givens is 11th in steals per game (2.6).
• Over the past three games, the Cougars are shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range (38-for-88).
• Landrius Horton made Columbus State history on Monday becoming just the second player to be named the PBC Player of the Week three times in the same season. Horton joins Hall of Famer Yandel Brown as the only two players to accomplish the feat.
• Horton averaged 24.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while adding five steals in two CSU victories last week. He shot 63 percent (19-for-30) from the field and was 9-for-11 at the free throw line. He is currently seventh in the PBC in scoring (17.1 PPG) and 12th in rebounding (7.2 reb/game).
Series History
• Since North Georgia made the jump to the Division II level for the 2005-06 season, Columbus State leads the all-time series 18-9 over the Nighthawks.
• The Cougars won both meetings last season, including a 76-67 victory in Dahlonega. Givens had 21 and six assists while L. Horton nearly had a 20-20 game with 19 points and 20 rebounds.
• Columbus State has won four of the previous five meetings in Dahlonega and hold an 8-5 overall record away from Columbus.
