WILSON, N.C. – Columbus State University Men's Basketball continued with the Hampton Inn & Suites and Tru by Hilton 45 Second Classic in Wilson, N.C. on Saturday morning versus Mount Olive (N.C.).
 
The Cougars (2-0) held tough down the stretch despite a second half surge from the Trojans (1-1), securing a 106-96 victory and the fourth straight win over Mount Olive.
 
First Half
 
Mount Olive struck first with a trey with Jarrett Adderton responding at the 18:23 mark with a trey of his own. The Trojans surged early with back-to-back three pointers to lead by six. Columbus State began to battle back to pull the deficit down to two points twice in the next minute or so.
 
The Trojans held a 16-9 lead with 15 minutes on the clock, but Columbus State answered with a 10-1 run over the next couple of minutes to capture a 19-17 lead. Over the next few minutes, both teams would compete in back-and-forth action keeping the score within a possession or two.
 
With about seven minutes to play, Columbus State charged with a 13-4 run over the next two minutes to lead 44-33. After a jumper from UMO at the 4:30 mark, CSU would go on to control a double-digit lead heading into the intermission.
 
The Cougars held a 57-41 lead at the break, shooting for 66.6% (22-of-33) from the field, 57.1% (8-of-14) from three, and 100% (5-of-5) from the foul line.
 
Second Half
 
Columbus State jumped to a 21-point lead early in the half capped by treys from Adderton and Jehloni James. After a quick five-point response from Mount Olive, James would follow with four points of his own to give the Cougars a 69-49 lead with 17 minutes on the clock.
 
Over the course of the next five minutes, Mount Olive surged with an impressive run that demolished the deficit to just six points. The Trojans held CSU to just six points and poured in 20 points in the process to pull the Cougars' lead to 75-69.
 
Columbus State would go on a 13-7 run capped by a trey from Rakeim Gary at the eight-minute mark to lead 88-76. Mount Olive would continue to give the Cougars fits, fighting back to just a six-point deficit twice.
 
With just a 92-86 lead and just under six minutes to play, the Cougars would outscore the Trojans 14-10 down the stretch to secure a 106-96 victory to open the season 2-0 in North Carolina.
 
Inside the Numbers

• James led with 27 points as one of five Cougars in double figures, adding seven rebounds in the process.
• Roman Son tallied 21 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and adding a team-high eight assists.
• Adderton scored 20 points, recorded six boards and two steals.
• Gary and Kordell Brown finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
• Brown gathered 10 rebounds for a double-double while Gary added seven assists to his tally.
• CSU finished shooting for 51.4% (36-of-70) from the field, 48.1 (13-of-27) from three, and 84% (21-of-25) from the foul line.
• Defensively, the Cougars gathered four steals and two blocks.
• CSU led 43-30 in rebounds.
• As a team, the Cougars dished out 23 assists.
• Columbus State is now 4-1 over Mount Olive, winning four in-a-row.

Next Up

• Columbus State will travel to Florence, S.C. on Nov. 13 for a clash at Francis Marion (S.C.) at 7:30 p.m. ET.