COLUMBUS - Hunter Preston hit the game-winning shot from the corner as time expired lifting the Columbus State University men's basketball team to a 61-60 victory over Augusta Monday afternoon. The Peach Belt Conference game took place inside the Lumpkin Center.

After leading for the majority of the game, CSU (10-6, 5-3 PBC) found itself down five, 60-55, with 12 seconds to go. Keeping their pose, the Cougars went to work. Preston connected from long range off a pass from Bryant Givens that brought Columbus State within two with seven seconds showing on the clock. 

Augusta was able to inbound the ball before a CSU foul sent Darren Lucas-White to the free throw line for a one-and-one. Lucas-White's attempt rolled off the rim giving Columbus State a chance for the game-winner. 

Givens brought down the ball down the court following a Cougar timeout, however, pressure from the Jaguar defense forced the ball out of bounds with a little more than a second left in the game. Off the inbound pass, Givens found Preston in the corner before the junior twisted to turn and lift to hit the clutch bucket. 

"What a game and what a win," said head coach Robert Moore. "We almost let this one get away, but the guys refused to lose and bounced back to get a critical win."

"Over the final minute, we showed so much poise. We work on late-game situations at practice all the time, and the guys came through in a big way. I'm super proud of Preston. He has been working really hard at practice and he has came up big for us since returning from the holiday break."

Preston led the Cougars with 19 points going 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He added six rebounds and three assists. Givens had 14 points with six assists. Karl Ivey was also in double figures in scoring with 11.

As a team, Columbus State shot 35.4 percent overall and 32.1 percent from three. CSU shot just nine attempts from the free throw line making six. The Cougars did connect on nine 3-pointers, with seven coming in the first 20 minutes of action. 

The Cougars will look to carry the momentum into Wednesday's contest at Clayton State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Morrow, Ga. 
 

Play-by-Play

First Half

It was all Columbus State over the opening 20 minutes. Augusta scored the first bucket of the game, but that would be the last time CSU trailed until the second half. In a 4-4 game, the Cougars rattled off 15 of the next 19 points to build a 19-8 advantage at the 11:36 mark. The Cougars got the 3-ball working once again with Hunter Preston connecting on two while Landrius Horton also nailed one to break the game open. A three-point play by Rafael Monterio brought the Jags with nine, 24-15, with just over seven minutes until the break when the Cougars strung together another impressive stretch. An 11-1 run saw the Cougar lead grow to 19, 35-16, before the under four media timeout. Karl Ivey caught fire from deep hitting two in the spurt with L. Horton added another from downtown. Augusta scored the final six points of the half to cut the lead to 37-25 at the break.

Second Half

After CSU went ahead by 13, 40-27, two minutes in, things became tight. The Jaguars put together their first big run of the afternoon by scoring 10 unanswered points to make it a single possession game with over 14 minutes to play. The Cougars were able to hold off the Jaguars until a Tyshaun Crawford dunk with 9:44 showing on the clock tied things at 49. The two defenses made things difficult on their opponents with suffocating play over the final minutes as the Cougars remained ahead. In a 53-53 game, Givens gave CSU the lead with a pair of free throws before Augusta would finally take its first lead since the opening basket of the game. A layup and a 3-pointer from Troy Cracknell pushed the Jags ahead 58-55 with 1:27 to play. Over the final minute, the lead was extended to five before Preston's heroics. Preston connected from long range off a pass from Givens that brought Columbus State within two with seven seconds showing on the clock before his game-winning shot at the buzzer.

 

Inside the Numbers

• With his six assists on Monday, Bryant Givens has dished out five or in five of the previous six games.  • Karl Ivey has made three or more 3-pointers in four games this season. The senior is sixth in the PBC in 3-point shooting with a 47.2 percentage (17-for-36).  • The two teams combined for just 13 points over the final 9:44 of play. • CSU's bench outscored Augusta's 30-5.  • Columbus State has made nine or more 3-pointers in each of the past five games. • The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Cougars against Augusta. CSU's last win over the Jaguars came on Jan. 6, 2018.  • Augusta still leads the all-time series 47-35 over the Cougars.