COLUMBUS, Ga. – Redshirt-sophomore Bryan Hart (Hampton, Va.) delivered a major career-high and led three players beyond 20 points as Clayton State (6-18, 4-13 PBC) fell 108-90 at rival Columbus State (15-10, 10-7 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Wednesday, February 19.
 
Hart erupted for a career-best 30 points and added five rebounds while junior guard Byron Abrams (Conyers, Ga.) also reset his career-high with 24 points behind 5-of-11 shooting beyond the arc. Senior guard Kyle Kincey (Tallahassee, Fla.) completed the triumvirate with 22 points, four assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals in 39 minutes.
 
The Cougars came out on fire as they raced out to a 21-9 lead over the first 4:14 before Clayton State got off the deck and answered with a commanding 20-5 run as Hart and Kincey dropped eight and seven points, respectively. That outburst flipped the script and gave the Lakers their first lead at 29-26 right at the midway point but Columbus State would right the ship.
 
A three by Landrius Horton then tied it up before back-to-back lead changes put the Cougars back ahead, eventually 33-30, only to end up deadlocked at 36-36 with 3:41 on the clock. At that point, Columbus State returned serve with an 11-4 run that closed the half with them up 47-40.
 
That would be a stretch that would grow to an overall run of 31-11 by the 11:24 mark as the Cougars opened the second half with a 20-7 run to put the game out of reach at 67-47. From there the lead would expand to 94-66 with just under three minutes to play before settling at the final margin of 108-90.
 
Horton led Columbus State with 26 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals while Bryant Givens finished with 22 points, eight boards and a game-high eight assists. Cam Paulding came away with 12 points and eight caroms and Anthony Moore put up 11 points and six rebounds. Hunter Preston added 12 points and Stanley Taylor 10 points to round out the top performers.
 
The Lakers continue their three game road trip when they head to USC Aiken on Saturday, February 22. Game time is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. in Aiken, South Carolina.