AUGUSTA, Ga. - No. 12 Augusta University closed the game on a 17-2 run to cap off a 77-65 victory over the Columbus State University men's basketball team in Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday. 

The Cougar offense went cold after Nelson Haskin slammed home a jam to give CSU a 63-60 lead with 6:07 to play. From that point, Augusta outscored CSU 17-2 as the Cougars went 1-for-10 from the floor to finish out the game.

"That's what happens when you don't hit shots against a quality opponent," commented head coach Robert Moore. "I thought we played a great first half in what felt like an NCAA Tournament game, but we just went cold at the wrong time."

Columbus State had to rally after falling behind 9-1 to begin the game. It took a late 10-2 run in the first half for the Cougars to grab their first lead of the day at 28-27. The Cougars were hot in the spurt, going 4-for-5 from the field, including knocking down two 3-pointers. Langston Gaither helped extend the margin to 41-37 at halftime by scoring the final four points for CSU.

The Cougars and Gaither stayed hot to open the second half. Over the first 3-plus minutes, Gaither had six points, including pushing the lead to 51-45 following a three at the 16:50 mark. However, back-to-back three's by Augusta quickly tied the game before a layup flipped the lead and momentum to the Jaguars. 

CSU stayed in the game and even retook the lead after a Devan Porter-Wilson three made it 59-58 with 8:07 before the offensive draught.

Four players nearly scored all of Columbus State's points with Gaither leading the way with 18. Hunter Preston added 16, while Porter-Wilson and Haskin scored 15 and 10 points, respectively. Wisdom Uboh was the only other Cougar to score.

Overall, Columbus State shot 35.8% (24-for-67) from the floor but was just 6-for-28 (21.4%) from beyond the arc. 

Ja'queze Kirby led Augusta with 18 points, while Troy Cracknell added a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Jaguars shot 45.8% (27-for-59) from the field as a team.

UP NEXT
Columbus State hosts Lander University on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m., looking for revenge from a December loss. It's Sea of Red Night in the Lumpkin Center with fans being encouraged to dawn their Cougar red. 

GAME NOTES
• CSU shot 22.6% (7-for-31) from the field in the second half, including going 2-for-18 from 3-point range
• The Cougars fall to 2-2 against top-25 ranked opponents this season
• Gaither has scored at least 15 points over his last six games and is averaging 21.3 points during the stretch
• CSU is 1-4 when shooting under 40% from the floor this season 
• Augusta improves to 50-36 all-time against the Cougars. CSU hasn't swept Augusta in a season series since the 2002-03 season