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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Columbus State Takes Down Tigers 113-52 in Men’s Basketball

COLUMBUS – The Columbus State men’s basketball team snapped a three game losing streak Sunday afternoon with a 113-52 thrashing of the Hiwassee College Tigers.  The Cougars improved to 3-5 on the year while Hiwassee drops to 2-11.

Columbus State attacked the visitors from the onset using pressure defense and up-tempo offense in the first twenty minutes of play to wear down the Tigers who were playing their fourth game in four days.  Hiwassee proved up to the task early with the game tied 7-7 just over two minutes in.

That would be as close as Hiwassee would get as the Cougars used a 17-0 run to race out to a 24-7 lead with 13:28 remaining in the first half. The run was highlighted by tremendous defense that forced five Tiger turnovers.  Six different players scored for CSU during the run.

The Cougars continued to build their lead, this time on the heels of a 16-7 run that stretched the lead to 40-14 with just over seven minutes to play in the first frame.  Hiwassee would get no closer than 26 the rest of the half and a pair of Anthony Smith free throws brought the first half to a close with Columbus State taking a 52-20 lead into the break.

The first half featured a balance offensive attack in which eleven Cougars scored. Jonathan Murphy led all scorers with ten points in the first twenty minutes of play.

The second half proved to be the same story, as the Cougars stormed out of the half on a 15-2 run stretching their lead to 67-22 with a little over fifteen minutes left in the contest. CSU would cruise the rest of the way registering the 113-52 win. The 61 point margin of victory was the largest ever for Columbus State.

For the game, Columbus State shot a season-best 55.1 percent from the floor and also a season-high 82.6 (19-of-23) percent from the free throw line.  Eight players reached double figures for the Cougars, led by Jonathan Murphy who registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Blake Zumadio and Anthony Smith both added 13 points while Andrew Houts chipped in 12.  Steve Peterson, Donta Ridley, Jarmarquis Steverson, and Paul Darkwa each added ten points.

The Tigers were led by Zack Williams who had 21 points and seven boards. Williams was the only player to reach double figures for Hiwassee. Adrian McLaurin and Javarious Williams added nine and eight points, respectively.

CSU limited the Tigers to just 37.3 percent from the floor while also forcing 21 turnovers. Hiwassee connected on just 4-of-20 from three point range.  Columbus State dominated in the paint and the glass, outscoring the Tigers 52-30 and out-rebounding them 49-25.  The Columbus State bench outscored Hiwassee by an incredible 65-11 margin.

Columbus State will enjoy an extended break before returning to the hardwood in their last action of 2010 on December 29 against Shaw University.  The game will be played at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia. Tipoff for the contest is set for 7:00 pm.

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