Columbus State’s usual suspects get much-appreciated support

Center Antonio Bishop had his number called Wednesday night in the Columbus State men’s basketball game against Peach Belt foe UNC-Pembroke at the Lumpkin Center.

With starting center Arben Camaj in foul trouble, Bishop stepped up.

He scored 12 points in what head coach Robert Moore called the Chicago native’s “best game all year,” helping the Cougars defeat the Braves 91-88 to move to 9-1 on the year and 2-1 in the PBC.

“When we recruited him, we felt he could do what he did tonight,” Moore said. “He played really well.”

“It was a big load, but I knew I could handle it,” Bishop said. “I told Arben even though he was in foul trouble, to stay in the game, and he came up with four big blocks in the end. It was huge.”

Now the Cougars travel to USC Aiken at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for another PBC game.

Bishop joined usual suspects JaCori Payne and Darius Joell in double figures Wednesday. Joell scored 15, while Payne poured in a career-high 31 points. Payne and Joell both rank in the top 10 in the PBC in points-per-game average.

“He knows he has the keys to the bus,” Moore said of Payne. “We don’t go if JaCori doesn’t go. Sometimes he gets a little passive, but he got aggressive (Wednesday).”

Payne relishes being the player CSU looks to when the Cougars need a scoring punch.

“It’s great,” he said. “I love it. I try to prepare myself for the situation.”

Wednesday’s win moved CSU over .500 in Peach Belt action.

“I think these guys know from losing down at Flagler that any team can beat you if you don’t play your best game,” Moore said. “So any time our guys step on the floor in a Peach Belt game, we have to be ready to play.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Columbus State’s usual suspects get much-appreciated support."