COLUMBUS – No. 17 Columbus State men's basketball team (16-2, 7-1 PBC) welcomed USC Beaufort (13-5, 5-3 PBC) to the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center for the Sea of Red Night. It was a tight game, but the Cougars took the win with a score of 99-87.  

First Half 

Roman Son got the Cougars rolling by scoring a layup in the first 30 seconds. With the ball going back and forth, Wisdom Uboh took the Cougars ahead with a three pointer to make the score 11-9 at 16:56. Jehloni James got himself on the board as he scored five points within a minute to get CSU ahead by 12. With possessions split between the two teams, USC Beaufort had trouble breaking through the CSU defense.

James took advantage defensively at the 10-minute mark, making his third defensive steal and moved up the court for his fourteenth point to make the score 34-24. With five minutes left on the clock, Jarrett Adderton made both his free throws after a foul inside the paint. Harp Hunter made his way into the game to make his first three pointer of the game and move the Cougars up to 47-40 with three minutes left in the game. Harp ended the first half for CSU to take a lead of 54-45 into the locker room. CSU led with points scoring 21-of-31 (66.7%), 3-of-5 (60.0%) in three pointers, and 9-of-12 (75.0%) from the charity line.  

Second Half 

With a handsome lead against the Sand Sharks, Adderton opened up the second half with a layup to make his thirteenth point of the game. Beaufort started creeping up on the Cougars as a layup made a six-point difference between the teams. James looked to shut the Sand Sharks' confidence down with a three-pointer making the score 61-52.  

Jordan Mitchell made his way into the game at the fifteenth minute mark and made two points from the line to make the score 73-60. Beaufort continued to give the Cougars some trouble as a few baskets lessened the difference between them. James made a huge block that gave Adderton a chance to get up the court and score, making the score 79-73 with seven minutes left in the game. With only a seven-point lead in the game and the SandSharks gaining momentum, Son made a vital steal that led to Kordell Brown's layup for a score of 88-77. As pressure kept building with a six-point game, Uboh fought through a sea of Sand Sharks to make two layups in a row and make the score 93-85. Ultimately, Beaufort could not keep up and the Cougars walked away with a 99-87 win.  

In the Numbers 

• The Cougars stole the show shooting 35-of-54 (64.8%) from the field, 4-of-8 (50.0%) from three-pointers, and 25-of-37 (67.6%) from the free throw line.  

• Adderton was the leader in points for the Cougars scoring 25 while shooting 7-of-16 (43.8%) from the floor and 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the charity line.  

• James was right behind scoring 21 points and was the leader in rebounds (11), assists (4), and blocks (2).  

• CSU's defense was on their a-game with 32 defensive rebounds and three huge blocks to keep the Sand Sharks at bay.  

• The largest lead the Cougars had was 14 points with the score 40-26 in the first half.  

Up Next 

• The Columbus State Cougars will stay home at the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center to host the Jaguars of Augusta University on Saturday, February 1st at 3:30 p.m. ET.