COLUMBUS - Led by seniors Hunter Preston and Devan Porter-Wilson, the Columbus State University men's basketball team collected a 77-69 victory over the University of North Georgia on Senior Day inside the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center.  

Preston continued his great play of late, scoring 24 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He swatted four blocks to go along with two assists. Porter-Wilson added 19 after going 5-for-7 from 3-point range. 

"You couldn't have asked for a better day for the seniors," commented head coach Robert Moore. "What these guys have been through this year has been unthinkable, and I'm glad they were able to enjoy this moment."

Columbus State (18-8, 9-7 PBC) broke the game open following the under-16 media timeout of the first half. The game was tied at seven before the Cougars ran off 17 of the next 18 points to go in front 24-8. Porter-Wilson was on fire in the stretch, scoring nine points, while CSU was 7-for-9 from the floor as a team.

North Georgia (13-12, 6-10) made a push towards the end of the first. The Nighthawks rattled off a 9-0 run to pull within three of the lead, 31-28, with less than three to play until the break. However, the Cougars were able to score the final six points of the half to take a 37-28 advantage into the break.

Columbus State's lead was never in question during the second half. The Cougar lead hovered around the 10-point mark before UNG cut it to 57-50 on a Blake McIntyre 3-pointer at the 8:11 mark. The Cougars had an answer though, outscoring UNG 10-4 over the next three minutes to put the game away. Christian Chambers scored six of the 10 points in the run to put Columbus State ahead 67-54 and ice the game.

Columbus State shot 45.9% (28-for-61) as a team, including going 8-for-22 (36.4%) from deep. The Cougars were 13-for-17 at the free throw line.

Porter-Wilson had eight rebounds four assists and four steals to go along with his 19 points. 

Malik Hardy scored 21 points to pace the Nighthawks. UNG shot 44.3% (27-for-61) overall. 

UP NEXT
Columbus State will have a showdown against USC Aiken on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Aiken, S.C. The Pacers are one spot ahead of the Cougars in both the PBC standings and the NCAA Southeast Region rankings.

GAME NOTES
• Langston Gaither dished out a season-high nine assists. The nine assists are the most by any Cougar this season
• Columbus State has shot over 45% in back-to-back games. It's just the third time this season that has happened 
• Preston has six 20-plus point games this year  
• The Cougars end the regular season with a 9-3 home record
• CSU improves to 28-15 over UNG and has won three straight in the series. It's the first time either side has won three straight in the series since 2015-17