AUGUSTA, Ga. — Marlon Smith calmly buried three free throws in the closing seconds to lift Columbus State University to a thrilling 70-67 Peach Belt Conference victory over Augusta University on Wednesday night inside the Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The tightly contested match-up featured five lead changes and two ties in the second half, as the Cougars erased an 11-point halftime deficit and executed down the stretch to secure the win. Columbus State trailed 42-31 at the break before flipping the script after halftime, outscoring Augusta 39-25 in the final 20 minutes.
Smith finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, but saved his biggest contributions for the final moments, converting on three free-throw attempts in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
Lee Langstaff II led the Cougars with a game-high 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including three three-pointers, while
Pascal Volz added 12 points and
Jaylen Harris scored 11 points off the bench.
Jordan Mitchell contributed eight points and six rebounds.
Columbus State shot 50.0 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc in the second half, finishing the night at 43.6 percent overall and an impressive 50.0 percent from three-point range. The Cougars also made their presence felt at the free-throw line, going 13-of-19.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 15-7 overall and 9-5 in Peach Belt Conference play. Columbus State will continue conference play on Saturday, February 7, when it returns home to the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center to face Clayton State University. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
