DAHLONEGA, Ga. – No. 25-ranked Columbus State men's basketball traveled to Dahlonega on Monday night for a Peach Belt Conference meeting at North Georgia.
 
The Cougars (12-2, 3-1 PBC) picked up a big win on the road over the Nighthawks (11-5, 3-1) in a 65-62 victory. CSU knocked off the #24-ranked team in the nation, according to last week's D2CSC poll.
 
First Half
 
After nearly 90 seconds without a score, the Cougars would go on to open with a 10-2 run led by three points from both Wisdom Uboh and Roman Son. For the next few minutes, North Georgia edged out Columbus State in a 10-8 stretch of play as CSU led 18-12 with 10 minutes to go.
 
Both teams remained in back-and-forth play for the following five minutes with CSU holding a 24-19 lead as Jarrett Adderton and Jehloni James added three points each. Despite the Nighthawks leading the last four minutes 7-4, the Cougars closed out the first half with a 28-26 score.
 
CSU finished the half shooting just 28.1% (9-of-32) from the field, 35.7% (5-of-14) from three, and 71.4% (5-of-7). James led the half with eight points followed by six from Uboh and five from Adderton. The Cougars held the lead for over 18 minutes of the half with the largest lead being 28-19 with 3:36 to play.
 
Second Half
 
North Georgia swiftly tied and took control of the lead to open the second half with a 30-29 lead with 18:07 on the clock. James led the Cougars in a 10-2 run over the next four minutes, scoring five points in the process to take a 39-32 lead.
 
Over the next five minutes, Columbus State and North Georgia clashed in back-and-forth action as the Cougars came away in a narrow 15-12 run. CSU went 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from long range in the stretch as James knocked down two treys to lead the way, giving Columbus State a 54-44 lead with seven minutes to go.
 
Despite an 18-11 run down the stretch from UNG, CSU managed to hold on tightly to their advantage to secure a close 65-62 victory. Thankfully, Uboh led with six points followed by three from Masiah Jones in the final few moments to keep the Nighthawks away from a potential comeback.
 
Inside the Numbers

• CSU shot for 33.9% (20-of-59) from the field, 41.7% (10-of-24) from three, and 78.9% (15-of-19) from the foul line.
• James led the scoring efforts with 21 points while adding three steals, six rebounds and a block.
• Uboh followed with 15 point and a team-leading six assists.
• Adderton rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points, six boards, and four steals.
• Kordell Brown led off the glass with nine boards to help CSU secure a narrow 38-36 rebounding advantage. 

Next Up

• Columbus State returns home for a PBC clash against Clayton State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.