COLUMBUS, Ga. | Caleb Byrd led Columbus State University with 21 points as the Cougars picked up a 91-77 Peach Belt Conference men's basketball victory Wednesday (Jan. 3) evening at the Lumpkin Center.

The Cougars improved to 7-3 overall and to 1-0 in the PBC, while the Bobcats fell to 7-4 and 0-1. GCSU, which played its first 11 games on the road, will host No. 21 University of South Carolina-Aiken in its 3:30 p.m. home opener Saturday (Jan. 6) in the Centennial Center.

Columbus State, which led for all but 17 seconds, jumped out to a 45-23 halftime lead as the Bobcats were held to 28.1 percent shooting (9-of-32) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

The Cougars, who only turned the ball over twice in the game, extended their lead to as many as 27 points (70-43) before the Bobcats caught fire as they shot 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the field, including 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the three-point line.  Leading the way for GCSU in the second half was Oscar Lynch, who went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field - all from three-point range - as they cut the deficit down to 14 points.

Lynch led Georgia College with a career-high 18 points in just 20 minutes off the bench. Austin Sloan added 15 points and five rebounds, while Brendan Rigsbee contributed 14 points and five rebounds. Brady Spence grabbed 12 rebounds for the Bobcats before he fouled out.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.


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