COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University men's basketball team shot 51.4% from the field en route to an 89-66 home victory over Peach Belt Conference rival Clayton State University on Wednesday inside the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center.

After opening the season on the road, the Cougars (1-1, 1-1 PBC) were ready to hit the floor at home, going in front by 26 points (45-19) before halftime. Over the first 20 minutes, the Cougars shot 57.6% from the floor, despite going 1-for-8 from beyond the arc. Clayton State continues its rough start to the season falling to 0-3. 
 

How It Happened

First Half

- Justin Figueroa hit a 3-pointer to put Clayton State on the board making the score 4-3 before the Cougars started to flex their dominance. A 19-4 run over the next few minutes stretched CSU's lead to 23-7 as Kalen Clifton played a vital role in the spurt. The transfer went 3-for-3 to begin the game to net seven points. After Clifton nailed a fastbreak jumper following a Christian Chambers steal to push the lead to 26 (45-19), the Lakers scored eight straight points to close out the half to head to the break down 45-27.

Second Half

- Columbus State's lead was never in doubt over the final 20 minutes of play with the lead never under 19. A 9-2 run fueled by four points from Nelson Haskin gave CSU its largest lead of the night at 67-39 with 11:34 showing on the clock. CSU lead by 28 on three different occasions over the final 10 minutes of play.

 

Box Score Breakdown

• In his first home game, Clifton scored a game-high 20 points. The senior was 9-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-3 on 3-point attempts. • Hunter Preston (13 pts.), Anthony Moore (12 pts.) and Christian Chambers (12 pts.) all scored in double-figures. • CSU was 2-for-19 from beyond the arc on Wednesday. Besides Clifton, the rest of the Cougar squad was 0-for-17.  • The Cougar bench outscored their counterparts 39-2. • Lederrius Jones had a game-high six assists.  • The Cougars only committed eight turnovers while forcing 21 on the night.

 

Cougar Notes

• The five assists by Moore was a career-high for the redshirt senior. • It was the largest margin of victory for Columbus State over the Lakers since Feb. 11, 1998, when the Cougars took a decisive 93-69 game from Clayton State. • So far this season, CSU is shooting 23.1% (12-for-52) from 3-point range.  • Columbus State now leads the all-time series 33-19 and has won three in a row against the Lakers since the start of the 2019-20 season.

 

Up Next

The Cougars are back in action on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Flagler College (4-2, 2-1 PBC) inside the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no fan attendance at Saturday's game. Fans can listen to the game on 88.5 FM WCUG radio or watch it broadcasted on Cougar Sports TV.