Columbus State hosts West Georgia in battle of high-scoring teams
The Columbus State Cougars have breezed to wins in its first two games this season. But the competition will likely be tougher Saturday afternoon when the Cougars host West Georgia at the Lumpkin Center at 2 p.m.
CSU is averaging 96 points a game after beating Middle Georgia State 91-72 and Carver 101-88. The Cougars lead the Peach Belt Conference in three categories -- points per game, field goals made per game (35) and field-goal percentage (53.0). They are second in 3-point shooting (42.2 percent).
Brent Jackson is leading the Cougars in scoring with 24.5 points per game. He scored 29 against Carver. Cam Baker is second at 22 per game.
"The guys are shooting the ball well," CSU coach Robert Moore said in a news release. "We know there will be games where the shots don't go down, so that's why playing physical defense is so important."
Moore thought interior defense would be a problem as CSU lacks size and depth in the post position. But the Cougars have blocked 19 shots to lead the PBC.
"The guys are swarming to the basket and making it hard for them to score, especially Arben (Camaj) and DeMarcus (McVay)," Moore said.
Each player has seven blocked shots. Camaj is fourth in the PBC averaging 10.5 rebounds per game.
West Georgia is scoring at an even higher clip than CSU. The Wolves (2-0) aeraveraging 116.5 points per game after wins over Lane (119-71) and Miles (114-96).
"They are a very talented team," Moore said. "They can score with anyone in the nation and are very opportunistic, creating confusion on defense leading to easy points."
West Georgia is led by Shannon Fowler, who is averaging 20.5 per game.
The two teams are former members of the South Atlantic Conference and have been playing since 1973. West Georgia holds a 29-20 series lead. CSU won the last meeting, 83-78 in overtime on Nov. 30, 2013.
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This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Columbus State hosts West Georgia in battle of high-scoring teams ."