COLUMBUS - A 37-point outburst by Langston Gaither helped the Columbus State University men's basketball team to an 85-70 victory over Clayton State University on Saturday in Peach Belt Conference action.

The senior was 7-for-14 from the floor, including a 4-for-5 mark from beyond the arc, with most of his damage coming at the free throw line. Gaither was 19-for-20 at the charity stripe to post the career-high mark. 

"This was a good win for the team," commented head coach Robert Moore. "It's been a whirlwind over the last few weeks, so putting a win in the column was a huge accomplishment."

The Cougars were down just once in the game, and it was early, after Kobie Johnson hit a 3-pointer to make it 6-2 less than three minutes in. From there, it was all Cougars as Nelson Haskin jumpstarted a 14-2 run to put CSU on top 16-8. 

A pair of Lederrius Jones free throws made it 23-13 for CSU's first double-digit lead of the night before the margin was pushed to 15, 28-13, after a Jones 3-pointer with 7:40 to play in the first. 

The Lakers had one push left in them before the half, sparking a 12-2 run to pull with five, 30-25, of the lead with 2:04 on the clock. Columbus State was able to double up the lead to 38-28 before the halftime buzzer.

The lead was still at 10, 47-37, with 15:05 to go before the Cougars took full control. Behind six points from Gaither, CSU went on an 11-2 spurt to pull in front 57-39 midway through the half. The lead would eventually get stretched to a game-high 18, 63-45.

CSU shot 41.8% (23-for-55) from the floor, including going 7-for-21 on 3-point attempts. The Cougars were 32-for-34 (94.1%) at the free throw line.

Nelson Haskin had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also had three blocks. 

Clayton State shot 45.2% (28-for-62) overall and was 9-for-30 from downtown.

UP NEXT
Columbus State takes on Young Harris College on Wednesday, Jan. 12 in Young Harris, Ga. at 7:30 p.m.