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By: Josh Fuller

COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University men's basketball team built up a 22-point lead early in the second half before coasting to its 17th straight non-conference home win defeating Auburn Montgomery 87-71 Saturday. The game took place inside the Lumpkin Center.
 
CSU shot 52.6 percent (30-for-57) from the floor, its highest mark since the season opener. Arben Camaj, Darius Joell and JaCori Payne each had 18 for the Cougars. Camaj was 8-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. The senior also had eight rebounds. Joell and Payne each had four assists.
 
"We did exactly what we set out to do today," said head coach Robert Moore. "We were very balanced on offense and I thought we played great defense, especially in the first half.
 
"Coming out of the break, it was important to put together a strong showing and I'm proud of how the guys performed. We have to be ready for another showdown on Wednesday against one of the best teams in the Peach Belt Conference with UNC Pembroke coming to town."
 
Auburn Montgomery (4-11) scored the opening point of the game on a free throw and would lead for just 14 seconds before Joell erased the lead with a three-pointer. The 1-0 lead for the Warhawks was the only time they led in the game.
 
Columbus State (8-1) was always in control of the game building up a 21-14 lead midway through the half. From there, the lead ballooned to 37-18 as the Cougars went on a 16-4 run to put a firm grip on the lead. John Lambert started the spurt with a jumper, but Camaj was the key. The senior scored the final 12 points of the run, including knocking down both of his threes from both corners of the floor.
 
The Cougars extended the lead to 20 in the final seconds of the half as Michael Graham beat the buzzer for a jumper to put CSU ahead 45-25 at the break.
 
In the second half, Columbus State's lead hovered around the 20-point mark for the first 10 minutes of action. CSU led by a game-high 22 points four different times in that span.
 
Late in the game, AUM went on a 10-1 run to pull within 12 points of the Cougars. However, the lead never fell under 10 as Columbus State rolled to the victory.
 
As a team, Columbus State shot 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from three. CSU has now shot over 40 percent from three in four of the past five games. Marcus Dixon had a game-high 12 rebounds, marking the seventh game this season that the junior recorded 10 or more rebounds.
 
AUM shot 40.9 percent (27-for-66) overall and 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from three.
 
Columbus State will return to action on Wednesday hosting UNC Pembroke. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.