GREENWOOD – The Lander men's basketball takes a swing through the state of Georgia this week, as they begin with a trip to Columbus State on Wednesday.

QUICK HITTERS

Location: Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center (Columbus, Ga.)

Time: 7:30 pm

Lander's Record: 8-6, 3-2 PBC

Columbus State's Record: 11-4, 3-3 PBC

First Met: Jan. 26, 1991 (105-73 CSU)

Last Met: Dec. 17, 2021 (83-71 LU)

Last Five Against Columbus State: 4-1

Who's Next: at Georgia Southwestern (Jan. 22)

STORYLINES

• The Bearcats are coming off a 2-0 week that saw them defeat Nationally ranked Augusta and most recently Clayton State at Horne Arena.
• Lander has now won the last four meetings against the Lakers after defeating them 71-67 last Saturday.
• For the third straight game, the Bearcats had five players with 10+ points. Jared Sherfield led Lander in scoring with 17 points. He also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Lakers.
• Deandre Robinson, Dominic Stanford, Zane Rankin and DaJuan Moorer joined Sherfield in double figures for scoring.
• Lander has had nine games this season that has featured four or more players in double figures in scoring.
• Lander is on their first winning streak after seeing its 5-0 run end with an overtime loss at USC Aiken on January 5.
• The Bearcats have enjoyed the home cooking so far this season, as they hold a 7-1 record at Horne Arena. They'll look to improve upon a 1-4 away record with road games at Columbus State and Georgia Southwestern.
• This is the second meeting between Lander and Columbus State. The Bearcats won the first meeting to begin conference action with an 83-71 victory at Horne Arena.
• Stanford led all scorers with 22 points after going 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds and two blocks.
• The Bearcats shot 53.6 percent from the field against the Cougars in that game while holding the visitors to just a 39.1 percent game from the field.
• Lander is currently third in the PBC in scoring defense while allowing just 66.4 points per game. That is also good for 42nd in the country. Columbus State comes in with the sixth-highest scoring defense in the conference as they allow 70.7 points per game. Augusta still holds the mark to beat with just 63.7 points allowed per game.
• The Bearcats and Cougars are fifth and sixth in scoring margin, as the Bearcats are +6.1 and the Cougars are +5.9.
• The Bearcats also hold one of the better FG defenses in the conference and country. Lander is third in the PBC while holding the 24th best FG defense in the country. Columbus State is sixth in the PBC with opponents shooting .430 compared to the Bearcats .407.
• Three Bearcats are in averaging double figures in points this season. Robinson leads the way with 12.7 points per game while Nigel Colvin and Stanford come in with 10.5 and 10.1 points per game,
• Colvin surpasses 550 career points after scoring nine against Clayton State.
• Sherfield leads the Bearcats in rebounds per game (5.9) while LaRaymond Spivery leads the squad in assists per game with 3.7.
• Martin Vogts leads the Bearcats in steals per game with 1.5 and Moorer is the team's leader in blocked shots per game with 1.3.
• The Cougars will be coming into this contest 11-4 overall and 3-3 in the PBC.
• After losing to Lander to begin conference action, the Cougars defeated Augusta at home 73-62.
• Columbus State wasn't as fortunate on the road, losing to Augusta 77-65 on January 15.
• Langston Gaither led CSU with 18 points on a 7-of-18 shooting night from the floor. He also added in five rebounds and one assist. Hunter Preston almost had a double-double after scoring 16 points and hauling in eight rebounds.
• Gaither leads the Cougars in scoring with 18.7 points per game this season. Christian Chambers and Hunter round out the top three with 13.4 and 13.1 points per game.
• Nelson Haskins leads the Cougars in rebounds with 7.7 per game with Anthony Moore is close behind with 7.4 per game.
• Lederrius Jones and Gaither are the two leaders for assists with 2.9 and 2.8 per game while Haskin leads Columbus State with 2.5 blocks per game.
• Lander continues its stay in the Peach State with a trip to Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, January 22.

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