March 7, 2005

Augusta, GA...Columbus State University worked its Peach Belt Conference Tournament magic for the sixth time here Sunday claiming the championship with a 93-81 win over USC Upstate. The Cougars became the first team in league history to win after playing a first round game, and were first to defeat two top-seeded teams. CSU now has six tournament titles, while three other schools have won two each. Yandel Brown, who broke several tourney records for Columbus State, was named MVP of the event after dropping in 38 points in the finale.

'We lost to Kennesaw State in the finals last season and we were not going to let that happen again,' said Brown. 'We played aggressively on both ends of the floor and we became a family out there in this tournament. We have become a lot closer as a team over the last four games and that has made a big difference in our team.'

CSU trailed just twice in the first six minutes of the game but took the lead on a Brown trey with 13:47 to play in the first half and never gave it up. The Cougars used a 13-4 run later in the half to pull out to a nine-point advantage - 37-28 - and would lead by 10 two times in the final two minutes of the half before settling for a 45-37 lead going into the locker room.

The Cougar women lost in overtime in their bid win the championship game, but both teams made it to the national tournament.

For more information, go to the Cougars Sports Net at http://athletics.colstate.edu/