COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University men's basketball team caught fire once again from the perimeter hitting 14 3-pointers in a 95-74 victory over Flagler. The Peach Belt Conference contest took place inside the Lumpkin Center.

Six different players connected from beyond the arc in the 21-point Cougar victory. Chris Horton and Karl Ivey, both coming off the bench, were lights out with five and four threes, respectively. Horton had 17 points while Ivey added 12, both season-highs for the seniors. Horton also dished out five assists. 

Anthony Moore was the leading scorer with 19 points going 8-for-13 from the floor with five rebounds. Bryant Givens added 11 while tying a season-high with eight assists.

"This team is exciting when we are on," said head coach Robert Moore. "The key is having more consistency. There are games where we can't miss, and then we will have a game like we did Wednesday. We have to find ways to win when we don't hit 10 or more threes in a game."

"Give our bench guys a lot of credit. Chris and Karl had huge days for us and we need their offense in order to be a really dangerous team."

CSU shot 51.5 percent (35-for-68) from the field with a 48.3 percent mark from downtown. From the free throw line, the Cougars went 11-for-18.

Columbus State will play its longtime rivals Augusta on Monday, Jan. 20 in a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday doubleheader. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. inside the Lumpkin Center.
 

Play-by-Play

First Half

It was setting up to be a back-and-forth affair with the two sides exchanging buckets early on. A Landrius Horton fastbreak dunk at the 12:31 mark sparked an 11-2 run that saw the Cougars move in front 19-12. The threes began raining from there for Columbus State. Chris Horton and Karl Ivey became lethal from beyond the arc combining for 12 points in less than a four minute stretch that saw the Cougar lead balloon to 37-21. The lead would get as high as 19 following a successful 3-point play by Hunter Preston after being fouled before Flagler cut into the margin. A 10-2 run by the Saints made the Cougar lead 12, 42-30, but CSU added two more points before the half to go into the locker room ahead 44-30.

Second Half

Flagler scored the first three points of the half to pull within 11, but the Cougars responded with the game-clinching run. CSU would score 13 of the next 16 points to open up a 21-point lead at 57-36. Anthony Moore and Bryant Givens paced the Cougars in the stretch with six and four points, respectively. Columbus State would start launching from long range once again to add on to the lead. With the Cougars up 65-46, C. Horton became the offense with nine consecutive points, all coming off the three-ball, upping the lead to 74-46 with 11:01 to play. The run continued as Ivey nailed a three of his own to give CSU its largest lead of the night at 31. Flagler chipped into the lead, getting within 20 twice, before the Cougars closed out the victory.

 

Inside the Numbers

• The win was the 150th for Columbus State head coach Robert Moore. In his 10th season, Moore is 150-118 with the Cougars. • The Cougars have won three straight games inside the Lumpkin Center. Overall, CSU is 6-2 at home this season. • CSU's bench outscored FC's 50-18. The 50 bench points are a season-high for Columbus State. • Bryant Givens has dished out eight assists in three games this season. • After failing to score over 10 points in the first three games of 2020, Anthony Moore is getting back into form. Moore has gone 13-for-21 from the floor over the past two games while scoring 10 or more points in both outings.  • Columbus State has made nine or more 3-pointers in each of the past five games. • During the stretch, CSU is shooting 43.3 percent (61-for-141) from beyond the arc. • The Cougars have now won five straight over Flagler. FC's last win in the series was on Dec. 17, 2016. All-time, CSU is 11-2 against the Saints.