Pirates Win 20th With 92-70 Victory Over Columbus State

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong Atlantic State men's basketball squad captured its 20th win of the season with a 92-70 Peach Belt Conference victory over visiting Columbus State on Thursday evening at Alumni Arena.

The Pirates (20-5, 13-5 PBC) have now won 20 games ten times in school history, dating back to the 1966-67 season, which was AASU's first as a four-year institution. Columbus State (8-15, 6-11) dropped its third straight contest.

When these two teams first met in January, AASU recorded 11 dunks and used a dominating inside game to come away with the win. This time, the Pirates did it from long range, hitting six first-half three-pointers and jumping out to a 44-23 halftime lead, while the Cougars could not hit a three in the first half and made just nine field goals.

The Cougars shot better in the second half, hitting 51.7 percent (15-of-29) after intermission, but the Pirates hit 50 percent to keep Columbus State at arm's length. AASU has now won six out of the last seven meetings between the two teams, dating back to 2004-05. 

Senior T.T. Hall exploded for 25 points on the night, hitting 9-of-12 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 three-pointers, while also contributing six rebounds and five assists. Dwight Tolbert hit 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including 4-of-7 threes, for 16 points. Brian Moultrie added 15 points as AASU scored 90 or more points for the fifth time this season.

Nick Gagnon led the Cougars with 15 points, while Chris Telesford came off the bench to chip in 14 points - 12 in the second half - to go with seven rebounds. Sean Miller added 10 points for CSU.

The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, February 25, with a 7:30 p.m. Peach Belt Conference contest at Francis Marion in Florence, S.C.