Jaguars rally to beat No. 19 Columbus State for eighth straight victory; AU women also win
By Justin Gray | Sports editor
The Augusta University men trailed by as many as 13 points in their 79-75 comeback win over No. 19 Columbus State on Jan. 4 to improve to 2-0 in Peach Belt Conference play.
The Jaguars took the court at Christenberry Fieldhouse after a two-week break for the holidays and came out rusty, allowing two quick 3-pointers and a six-point deficit.
The rustiness continued throughout the first half as Augusta continuously allowed open shots and turned the ball over, and Columbus State took advantage, extending its lead to 30-18.
AU (2-0, 8-4) settled in and brought it back to a 41-35 game at halftime.
Demitri Gardner was the sole reason that the Jags stayed in it, as he made six of seven shots in the half.
For the first five minutes of the second half, it looked to be the same as the previous one as the Cougars got the lead all the way to 13, but an Evan Joyner 3-pointer for the Jaguars felt like it shifted momentum.
Right after that, the Jaguars subbed in guard Zyere Edwards, who’s quick burst and athleticism gave Columbus State fits. Indeed, his defensive intensity changed the whole dynamics of the game.
Behind him, Augusta went on a 14-4 run to take its first lead of the affair.
From then on, it was a tight one, but still felt as though Columbus State controlled the game, and the Cougars took a 71-65 lead on a Roman Son layup with 5:13 remaining.
The Jaguars answered that with a second 14-4 run to pick up its eighth consecutive win.
Let’s look at how they finished it.
With two minutes left in the game, the Jaguars took a 75-73 lead on a converted and-one by Luis Nonfon.
“It was a great feeling,” said the freshman forward from Ludwigsburg, Germany. “Before the break, I kind’ve had a slump, but I got to go home and see my mom, and that helped me get my rhythm back.”
CSU responded with two of their own to tie, John St. Germain III answered back with a layup to take the lead with just 29.6 seconds on the clock.
The Cougars ran the clock down a good bit before Gardner picked Jarrett Adderton’s pocket, drove the court and got fouled with two seconds left, leading to two free throws to put the game away.
It was just another game-winning moment for one of the best players in Division II.
“If I’m being honest, on film, I have seen him hit that move, three or four times, in a close game stretch, so I was thinking this was the move he was going to, so I put my hand down in the path and hit the ball at the right time,” said the junior from Winchester, Va.
The Jaguars also got a key 3-pointer from center Max Amadasun after the under-four-minutes media timeout. That came off a set play called by AU Coach Dip Metress.
This win was huge for many reasons for Augusta, for one they got to shake the rust off while picking up a victory which is always good, but also that’s a leg up they have on one of the conference title contenders.
“We were bad in the first half,” said Metress, who praised Edwards for his energy to spark the comeback. “Little bit of a lineup change, and then we took care of the ball better with only four turnovers in the second half. Great effort—we did not outplay them, but we just happened to beat them.”
Adderton, who like Gardner is one of the PBC’s elite players, led CSU (1-1, 10-2) with 20 points. Wisdom Udoh added 19 points for the visitors.
The Jaguars will now set their sights on a ninth straight victory when they head to Clayton State (0-2, 6-6) on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
In the women’s game, the Jaguars won their fifth straight game, this one over Columbus State, 63-52, to improve to 10-2 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
This was a close affair throughout the first half, but the second half was all Jaguars, who, after only leading by two at the half, outscored the Cougars 37-28.
Columbus State was picked to win the conference in the preseason, and it looks like it’s going to be between them two in the end, so AU getting this first win over them is huge for the Jaguars.
Augusta was led by freshman sensation Quinasia Abercrombie with 14 points and six rebounds, followed by Mone Florence with 10 points and Tyasia Freeman.
AU women will head on the road to take on Clayton State (0-2, 3-9) at 5:30 p.m.
Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.
John St. Germain III (4) puts AU ahead at 77-75 with just under 30 seconds to play en route to a 79-75 victory over 19th-ranked Columbus State. At the top of the page, Demitri Gardner (2), who led all scorers with 28 points, celebrates the comeback triumph. (photos by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
AU’s Quinasia Abercrombie (24) goes up for two of her 14 points against Columbus State, as the Jaguar women improved to 2-0 in the PBC and 10-2 overall. (photo by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
The Jaguars’ Demitri Gardner (2) kept his team close enough in the first half, and then he would seal the victory with a key steal and two free throws with two seconds to play. (photo by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
AU senior Autumn Phillips (5) had to handle Columbus State’s pressure defense all day in the Jaguars’ fifth straight victory. Phillips had six points and six rebounds. (photo by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
