Gardner, St. Germain, Amadasun lead Jaguars to seventh straight victory
Staff report
SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Demitri Gardner had 26 points to lead the Augusta University men to an 89-81 win over Converse University in a non-conference basketball game on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 21.
Gardner’s sharpshooting and a double-double by center Max Amadasun at the Weisiger Center propelled the Jaguars to their seventh straight win. Amadasun added 16 points and 10 rebounds for AU.
Augusta point guard John St. Germain III added 18 points and five boards.
The Jaguars led 48-38 at halftime and led 72-58 on a layup by Luis Nonfon with 9:46 left to play, but the Valkyries (3-6) mounted a comeback down the stretch. They cut the lead to 82-79 on two free throws by Leonardo Da Campo with 2:23 left, but the Jaguars outscored Converse 7-3 in the closing two minutes.
St. Germain started that last spurt with a driving layup from the right side of the lane. After a Valkyrie miss, Gardner scored for 86-79. St. Germain would make 3 of 4 from the line to complete AU’s scoring.
“Meech got a big bucket late off a long rebound that separated us,” AU Coach Dip Metress said. “Then John drew fouls and made his free throws.”
Evan Joyner, AU’s sixth man, chipped in 12 points and five rebounds.
“Without Evan we don’t win the game,” Metress said. “He had three transitions dunks that got us going.”
Augusta continued its precise shooting as Metress’s team shot 54 percent from the field, 50 from behind the arc and 79 percent from the line. The Jags held Converse to a 46-percent shooting day.
Jay Mitchell led the Valkyries with 24 points, and Edo Buffo added 17 points. Converse was coming off a 92-69 win over Francis Marion on Dec. 17.
The Jaguars, who opened conference play with a 105-96 win over USC Beaufort on Dec. 18, now take their winter break, returning home to see their families. Augusta will next play on Jan. 4, when they host Columbus State at 3:30 p.m. in a Peach Belt Conference game at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
AU is in a five-way tie for first place in the PBC standings. That five includes Columbus State, which is 9-1 overall—good for the best overall record in the conference.
Max Amadasun (17) totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds to help AU to an 89-81 win over Converse. At the top of the page, Demitri Gardner (2) scored 26 points to lead all scorers. (photos by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
AU’s Evan Joyner (0) goes in for the dunk over Converse’s Jay Mitchell (4). Joyner would finish with 12 points and five rebounds in the Jaguars’ win on the road. Augusta will return to action on Jan. 4, when they host Columbus State in a Peach Belt contest at 3:30 p.m. (photo by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
