CENTRAL, S.C. | The Columbus State University Men's Basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season on Friday, defeating North Greenville University 79-74 in the Conference Crossover Tournament at Tysinger Gymnasium.
Columbus State controlled the game from the opening minutes and never trailed. The Cougars built an early advantage behind strong perimeter shooting, connecting on nine 3-pointers in the opening half.
Pascal Volz opened the scoring with a 3-pointer before
Lee Langstaff II and
Masiah Jones added triples to help CSU jump out to a 12-4 advantage.
Jaylen Harris provided a spark off the bench, knocking down three first-half 3-pointers as the Cougars stretched their lead to 28-13 midway through the period.
Columbus State carried a 49-38 advantage into halftime after shooting 46.9% from the floor and 56.3% from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
North Greenville cut the deficit to six, 62-56, midway through the second half, but the Cougars answered. Langstaff scored on a fast-break dunk and followed with a layup before
Peyton Gusters added a jumper and
Ta'Quan Williams connected from deep to push the CSU lead back to 72-58 with 6:54 remaining.
The Crusaders made one final push, trimming the lead to four at 78-74 with 53 seconds remaining. Harris converted a free throw with 10 seconds left, and CSU held North Greenville scoreless the rest of the way to secure the five-point victory.
Harris led Columbus State with 20 points off the bench, knocking down four 3-pointers. Langstaff added 13 points, while
Domonik Henderson finished with nine points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Volz added eight points and five rebounds.
Nathan Eroh recorded five points and a team-high seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
The Cougars shot 41.7% from the field and 40.7% from 3-point range while finishing with 37 bench points. CSU also forced 12 North Greenville turnovers while committing just six and scored 15 points off turnovers.
INSIDE THE BOX:
#12
Jaylen Harris: 20 points, 4 3-pointers, 2 assists
#00
Lee Langstaff II: 13 points, 2 assists, 1 steal
#10
Domonik Henderson: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
#24
Pascal Volz: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
#02
Promise Idiaru: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
#15
Nathan Eroh: 5 points, 7 rebounds, 5 offensive rebounds, 2 steals
TEAM: 79 points | 25-60 FG | 11-27 3PT | 37 rebounds | 13 assists | 8 steals | 6 turnovers
UP NEXT:
The Cougars return to action Saturday (Nov. 14) at 2 p.m. when they face Southern Wesleyan University at Tysinger Gymnasium in Central, S.C., in the Conference Crossover Tournament.
