Columbus State rolls to easy win over UNC Pembroke

The high-flying offense that Columbus State used throughout its non-conference schedule was on full display Thursday night at the Lumpkin Center, and the Cougars even added a little bit of defense as well.

Columbus State topped UNC Pembroke 82-69 to extend an impressive start to the season, improving to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in Peach Belt Conference play.

From the outset, the Cougars had control of the game. From an early barrage of 3-pointers from Brent Jackson, Darren Daniel and JaCori Payne to a baseline dunk that brought the crowd to its feet, the Cougars built a big 13-point lead by intermission at 42-29.

That lead was extended to 27 at one point in the second half, and only a handful of late buckets against the Columbus State bench made the score closer for the Braves.

The offense was balanced. Four players scored 15 or more for Columbus State, including Cam Baker and Daniel with 16, and Jackson and Payne with 15.

The offense was efficient. The Cougars shot 49.1 percent from the field overall and 50 percent from beyond the arc, making 11 of 22 shots from long distance.

In short, the offense was everything it has been throughout the early part of this season -- fast-paced, high-percentage and effective.

But it was the defense that made a big leap from where it had been during the first seven games of the season. After allowing nearly 80 points per game over the

non-conference stretch, Columbus State gave up 69 on Thursday night, 15 of which came over the final three minutes of the game.

"We've been stressing all year that we've got to get better defensively," coach Robert Moore said. "I thought tonight, the guys sat down and guarded, rebounded the basketball and did all the things they had to do on that side of the ball."

Daniel said that's how the team has spent the majority of its time in practice over the past week.

"Coach has set out a whole hour for defense," he said. "Our coaches do a great job breaking down the other team's offense and getting us in the right place."

Overall, the Cougars held the Braves to 35 percent shooting overall and 36 percent from beyond the arc. Those numbers improved vastly in the final three minutes, as both were under 30 percent prior to that point. Columbus State, despite a lack of interior size, also blocked six shots, including four by DeMarcus McVay.

But this team's identity is still on the offensive side of the ball. Moore came into the year wanting five guys on the floor who could be a consistent threat to score the basketball, and the team proved again on Thursday that it has just that.

"We need to get better with low-block scoring, but we're shooting the ball well," Moore said.

Columbus State returns to the court on Saturday, when it hosts South Carolina-Aiken at 3:30 p.m. at the Lumpkin Center.

UNC PEMBROKE (6-5, 0-2)

Brandon Watts 7-14 2-4 20; Brandon Winford 5-10 6-7 16; Giavonni Mack 3-16 4-4 12; Alex Bradley 3-7 2-2 10; Daylan Fuller 2-4 0-0 5; Jihad Wright 2-3 0-0 4; James Murray-Boyles 1-9 0-0 2; Carson Mounce 0-2 0-1 0; Chris Smith 0-0 0-0 0; Jimmy Staiti 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-65 14-18 69.

COLUMBUS STATE (7-1, 1-0)

Darren Daniel 5-10 3-3 16; Cam Baker 5-9 4-6 16; Brent Jackson 4-13 5-6 15; JaCori Payne 5-8 1-1 15; Brentine Taylor 3-5 0-0 6; DeMarcus McVay 3-5 0-0 6; Arben Camaj 2-4 0-0 4; Matthias Sigurdarson 1-3 0-0 2; Marcus Dixon 0-0 1-4 1; Denard Williams 0-0 1-2 1; Markis Boyd 0-0 0-3 0; Jamal McKee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-57 15-25 82.

Halftime--Columbus State 42-29. 3-point goals--UNC Pembroke 9-25 (Brandon Watts 4-8; Alex Bradley 2-6; Giavonni Mack 2-10; Daylan Fuller 1-1), Columbus State 11-22 (JaCori Payne 4-5; Darren Daniel 3-5; Brent Jackson 2-5; Cam Baker 2-4; Matthias Sigurdarson 0-1; Arben Camaj 0-2). Fouled out--UNC Pembroke-Jihad Wright, Columbus State-None. Rebounds--UNC Pembroke 40 (Brandon Winford 8), Columbus State 39 (Darren Daniel 9). Assists--UNC Pembroke 10 (Alex Bradley 7), Columbus State 17 (Cam Baker 4). Total fouls--UNC Pembroke 17, Columbus State 18. Technical fouls--UNC Pembroke-None, Columbus State-None. A-388

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Columbus State rolls to easy win over UNC Pembroke ."