COUGARS DROP CLOSE GAME TO COLUMBIA STATE
CLEVELAND – Cleveland State entered Friday night’s game looking to bounce back against Columbia State. They came close, tying the game up late in the game, but ultimately inconsistent play proved too costly. The Chargers (16-5, 6-4) defeated the Cougars (10-5, 5-5) 89-80 in the conference matchup, which dropped Cleveland State to sixth in the TCCAA.
CLEVELAND – Cleveland State entered Friday night's game looking to bounce back against Columbia State.
They came close, tying things up late in the game, but ultimately inconsistent play proved too costly. The Chargers (16-5, 6-4) defeated the Cougars (10-5, 5-5) 89-80 in the conference matchup, which dropped Cleveland State to sixth in the TCCAA.
"We didn't compete well enough for 40 minutes. We have to play better and more consistently," Cougars head coach Lee Cigliano said. "We fought back to tie it late, but were too inconsistent throughout the game."
The Cougars may have started out on a bright note with Romero Hill sinking a 3-pointer 20 seconds in, but the Chargers soon took over control of the court and forced their hosts to play catch up for the rest of the night.
By the end of the first half, Columbia State had a 12-point, 41-31 lead over Cleveland State.
The Cougars battled back in the second half, cutting the Chargers' lead to setup what looked to be a comeback.
With 5:34 remaining in the game, Victor Curry, who has returned from an injury, hit a basket to tie the game up at 69. The momentum swayed back in Columbia State's favor after Donovan Brown's "And-1" once again gave the visitor's a three-point lead.
After the final five minutes ran off the clock, the Cougars were looking at the wrong side of an eight-point game.
Cleveland State had four players reach double-digit scoring in Friday's game: Cam Copeland had 20, Tevin Olison had 14, Curry had 13 and Hill had 12.
The Cougars return to the court at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, when they host Jackson State. The game will also serve to honor the 2016-17 Hall of Fame inductees.
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