By Leeroy Francis Jr. |Sports editorAugusta University continued its strong offensive performance on Wednesday, Jan. 9, and the Jaguars earned a 90-63 Peach Belt Conference victory over Flagler at Christenberry Fieldhouse.The Jaguars (4-1, 8-3) started off the game hot behind the torrid shooting of senior Tyvez Monroe and Miguel Arnold and the shot-stopping ability of senior Deane Williams. The Jaguars built an early 22-13 lead.With 9:18 left in the first half, Augusta senior Monroe became the 30th Jaguar to reach 1,000 career points. After the victory, Monroe rose to ninth all-time in made three-pointers.After shooting 60 percent in their previous game, the Jaguars continued their solid shot selection in the first half, shooting 54.8 percent from the field (17-31) and 50 percent (7-14) from the three-point line, compared to Flagler’s 35.5 percent from the field and 30 percent from the three-point line. This enabled AU to take its largest lead of the half at 37-25 with 4:15 left before the break.The Jaguars finished the half strong with Williams recording his third block of the half en route to a 42-30 halftime advantage.In the second half, it was smooth sailing for the Jaguars and for the second straight home game the Jaguars made basketball look easy offensively and built a 27-point lead with seven minutes left to play.As a result, AU shot well for the second straight game, making 62 percent from the field and 52 from the three-point line. The Jags also had the upper hand on the boards, grabbing 38 to just 24 by the Saints (2-2, 5-5).Monroe and Montiero led the Jaguars with 15 points, five rebounds, and an assist each. Aaron Byrd carded 14 points, Arnold had 11 points and Darren Lucas-White added 12.For Flagler, the leader was Gedi Juozapaitis with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Kris Totoris chipped in 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.
“I feel good, nothing but hard work and dedication. At the end of the day, that is what we are here for,” Monroe said after scoring his 1,000th-career point with the Jaguars.With Monroe's milestone, Metress has now coached 10 players to 1,000 points in his coaching career.Byrd had another outstanding night shooting. He made 5-of-7 shots from the floor 2-of-2 from three-point land, made both free throws and grabbed two rebounds.“Our identity in 2019 is to lock up every team we play and with that coach has given us a little more freedom on offense. So, we up our defense more so it allows us to open up our offense more,” Byrd said after the 27-point victory.Jaguars’ Coach Dip Metress praised the complete team effort the men showed in a game where all eleven players who recorded minutes scored in the contest.“It was a great team effort and we were very unselfish with 23 assists," Metress said. "Man, that is great to have in a game. And we are protecting home court, and in order to be anywhere in our league you have to win your home games."AU is a perfect 6-0 at home this season.In the women’s game, Flagler narrowly got the 67-59 win over the Jaguars. AU (0-5, 1-10) shot 54.5 percent from the floor in the first period to lead Flagler 16-14. Flagler shot well to start the second tying the game at 22-all with 8:12 left in the first. The Saints outscored Augusta 22-17 in the second period to take the 36-33 halftime lead.In the fourth period, Brianna Middleton hit a layup to tie the game at 54-54 with 6:30 left in the game. Freshman Jaelyn Autman added a jumper to take a two-point lead for AU with 5:57 left. But Flagler outscored the Jaguars 11-3 down the stretch to finish with the victory.The Saints (3-2, 7-4) were led by Chris Wilson with 30 points and added 11 rebounds, while Tabitha Odabe added 16 points and 12 rebounds.Jags senior Middleton scored nine in the first half and totaled 17 points for her season high. Middleton added 15 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Autman and junior Cameryn Wilson each had 11 points, while freshman Asia Harrison scored 10.Augusta hosts UNC Pembroke (on Jan. 16), North Georgia (Jan. 19), Young Harris (Jan. 21), and USC Aiken (Jan. 30) for upcoming Peach Belt Conference games in Christenberry Fieldhouse. On Saturday, Jan. 12, AU plays at Columbus State.
Contact Leeroy Francis at lfrancis@augusta.edu