COLUMBUS – No. 6-ranked and top-seeded Columbus State men's basketball welcomed fourth-seeded South Carolina-Beaufort on Saturday for the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals in the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center.
 
The Cougars (26-4) slipped to the Sand Sharks (21-9) in a tightly contested battle to the final moments, dropping a 91-87 loss on Herbert Greene Court to halt the CSU PBC Tournament title run.
 
First Half
 
The first half proved to be a battle between two conference heavyweights and the opening moments were nothing short of exciting play as both teams went back-and-forth with successful trips down the floor. Neither team missed a shot until the 17:32 mark as USCB led 10-7. A trey from Jarrett Adderton as well as layups from Wisdom Uboh and Kordell Brown led the first few points for the Cougars.
 
USCB would move to a 15-9 lead before the Cougars clawed back into the game and surged into a 20-19 lead with an 11-4 run led by five points from Adderton and two from Roman Son, Jehloni James, and Uboh. Over the next couple of minutes, both teams would trade scores and eventually land on a 27-27 draw with 7:31 remaining.
 
Columbus State finished the half with 4-of-9 shooting from the field to score 14 points, led by six from James and four from Uboh which included the buzzer-beater at the half to level the score at 41-apiece. CSU finished the first half shooting for 48.3% (14-of-29) from the field, 33.3% (2-of-6) from three, and 78.6% (11-of-14) from the foul line.
 
Second Half
 
Columbus State jumped out of the halftime break with an 8-2 charge led by four points from Son, shooting 4-of-4 from the field to open the second half. The Sand Sharks swiftly answered with an 8-0 run of their own to claim a 51-49 lead with 15:30 on the clock.
 
Over the next five and a half minutes, both teams went back-and-forth for a 14-14 stretch of play that resulted in a 65-63 advantage for the visitors. Uboh led CSU's efforts with five followed by three from Brown. The Cougars and Sand Sharks continued to battle in the game going trip-for-trip trading scores and tying the game numerous times down the stretch.
 
A pair of free throws from Joshua Guilford capped a 9-7 stretch for CSU that leveled the game at 72-apiece with 6:37 remaining. Adderton led with four of the nine to keep the Cougars in contention.
 
USCB went on a 10-6 run to move to an 82-78 lead with 3:15 remaining, despite several chances for CSU to catch up. Unfortunately, CSU would be on the chase for the remainder of the game. The Cougars managed to pull within a one-point deficit with a 6-3 stretch, down 85-84 with 0:52 left to play.
 
A trey from the guests at the 35-second mark hit like a sucker punch to the Cougars and knocked the wind out of the sails of the home team. Adderton, knocked down a trey with just a couple of seconds left to pull back within two, but free throws in the dying moments sealed the fate for CSU.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Four players scored in double figures for the Cougars as Adderton led with 23, followed by 17 from Uboh, 15 from Son, and 14 from James.
• James also tallied 14 rebounds for a double-double.
• CSU finished shooting for nearly 52% (31-of-60) from the field.
• USCB lit up for 18 three-pointers, outscoring CSU 54-12 from beyond-the-arc.
• Columbus State outscored the guests 21-13 from the foul line.
• The Cougars led 38-30 off the glass.
• USCB's bench outscored CSU's 47-13. 

Next Up

• Columbus State will now set aim for the DII Men's Basketball Championship with the selection show set for Sunday at 11 p.m. ET which will announce the regionals that begin on Mar. 15.