COLUMBUS, Ga. | Oscar Lynch scored a career-high 22 points and C.J. Jones added 19 more, but it wasn't enough as Columbus State University held off Georgia College & State University 85-81 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game inside the Lumpkin Center Saturday (Feb. 14) afternoon.

The Cougars are 18-7 overall and 12-5 in the Peach Belt, while the Bobcats fell to 15-9 and 10-6. GCSU returns to the Centennial Center Wednesday (Feb. 18) at 7:30 p.m. when they host the University of North Georgia. The game will be a White Out game for the Bobcats as well as faculty and staff night.

Both teams were lights out in the opening half as GCSU took a 48-47 lead at the intermission. GCSU went 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) from the floor, including 9-of-18 (50 percent) from long distance. Columbus State went 15-of-30 (50 percent) from the floor, but connected on 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from three-point range.

After James Nichols III used an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 53 with 14:22 remaining, the Cougards used a 13-3 run over the next three minutes to open up a 66-56 lead after Marlon Smith hit two free throws. An Aaron Smith three-pointer pushed the CSU advantage to 11 points (69-58) with 9:36 to go.

The Bobcats responded with a 12-5 run to trim the deficit to four points (74-70) after a Lynch three-pointer with 4:29 left. Columbus State extended its lead to eight points before GCSU cut the lead to two points (83-81) on an Aidan Kudlus layup with 31 ticks left, but the Bobcats couldn't get any closer.

Lynch went 8-of-12 from the floor and sank 6-of-10 attempts from three-point range. He along with Tony Carpio and Mason Etter led the Bobcats with five rebounds each. Jones collected six assists, while Carpio and Khalil Green each added nine points. Kudlas led GCSU with seven assists.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six 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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