Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Jarmarquis Stevenson led five players in double figures with 23 points to help Columbus State University hold off a Flagler College rally and win 91-79 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at the Lumpkin Center.

Columbus State won its second game in a row and third in its last four games to improve to 9-6 overall and 4-2 in the Peach Belt. Flagler dropped its eighth consecutive game and fell to 6-9 overall and 0-8 in conference play.

Stevenson made 8-of-11 from the field and sank 5-of-7 free throw attempts. He scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half. Steve Peterson added 19 points and he hit made four 3-pointers. Paul Darkwa recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, coming off the bench. Dimitri Davis chipped in with 15 points, also coming off the bench. Winford Ivey tacked on 10 points and handed out seven assists for the Cougars.

Columbus State shot 51.7% (31-60) from the field, including a 60% (18-30) mrk in the first half alone which allowed the Cougars to hold a 48-32 lead.

Matt Clark (St. Augustine, Fla., St. Augustine HS) scored a season-high 25 points as he sank seven 3-pointers to lead the Saints. Addison Smith (West Palm Beach, Fla., College of Central Florida) contributed 16 points while Jarrod Branco (Hudson, Fla., Hudson HS) came off the bench to add 12 points, five assists and four steals.

Flagler had its best shooting performance, 50% (31-62), since shooting the same percentage against the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Nov. 26 at Melbourne, Fla.

The Cougars opened the game on a 20-3 run. Columbus State made nine of its first 12 shots and the defense held Flagler to 1-for-6 shooting and seven turnovers in that 5:59 span. The Cougars converted those seven turnovers into nine points.

The lead would swell to as many as 17 in the first half, for the Cougars.

Flagler's deficit grew to 19 in the second half after a Davis layup gave Columbus State a 60-41 lead with 14:15 left in the game. But Clark sank a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor for the Saints which started an 11-2 run and got Flagler back into the game 62-52 with 11:10 remaining.

A Peterson 3-pointer gave Columbus State a 14-point lead, 74-60, with 6:34 left, but Flagler made another valiant run. Another Clark 3-pointer started a 19-9 run, capped by a transition layup by Branco and the Saints trailed 83-79 with 1:33 left to go. That would be the last points Flagler would score.

Flagler will complete its road trip on Monday (Jan. 16) at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus.

Flagler vs Columbus State
01/14/12 3:30 p.m. at Columbus, Ga. (Lumpkin Center)
At Columbus, Ga. (Lumpkin Center)

COLUMBUS STATE 91, FLAGLER 79

FLAGLER (6-9, 0-8 PBC)
Matt Clark 8-17 2-2 25; Addison Smith 7-10 2-3 16; Jarrod Branco 5-10 0-2
12; Ante Gospic 4-11 1-3 9; Ryan Barnes 2-8 0-0 5; Justin Stokes 1-2 2-2 4;
Desmond Gibson 2-2 0-1 4; Jordan Warner 2-2 0-0 4; Elijah Hayes 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 31-62 7-13 79.

COLUMBUS STATE (9-6, 4-2 PBC)
Jarmarquis Steverson 8-11 5-7 23; Steve Peterson 6-14 3-4 19; Paul Darkwa
7-11 3-4 17; Dimitri Davis 5-8 5-7 15; Winford Ivey 2-7 5-6 10; Idell Bell
1-3 0-0 3; Johnathan Murphy 1-3 0-0 2; Darius Mcknight 1-1 0-1 2; Cody Wood
0-0 0-0 0; AJ Shepherd 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 31-60 21-30 91.

Flagler.......................   32   47  -   79
Columbus State................   48   43  -   91

3-point goals--Flagler 10-22 (Matt Clark 7-11; Jarrod Branco 2-3; Ryan
Barnes 1-7; Ante Gospic 0-1), Columbus State 8-18 (Steve Peterson 4-8;
Jarmarquis Steverson 2-3; Idell Bell 1-3; Winford Ivey 1-4). Fouled
out--Flagler-None, Columbus State-Darius Mcknight. Rebounds--Flagler 32
(Ante Gospic 7), Columbus State 36 (Paul Darkwa 12). Assists--Flagler 17
(Jarrod Branco 5), Columbus State 17 (Winford Ivey 7). Total fouls--Flagler
21, Columbus State 19. Technical fouls--Flagler-None, Columbus State-None.
A-363