Staff report |
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The 16th-ranked Augusta University men's basketball team outscored Francis Marion 13-6 in overtime to gain a 77-70 win over the Patriots in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Queens University's Levine Center.
AU, which has won 14 straight games, will play USC Aiken in the second round of the Southeast Regional on Sunday, March 17, at 5 p.m. It will be the fourth meeting between the top two teams in the Peach Belt Conference this season. AU has won two of the three played so far.
Augusta and Francis Marion ended regulation of a tightly contested game tied at 64 before the Jaguars (27-5) pulled away in the extra period. A Miguel Arnold three-pointer gave AU a five-point lead with 1:16 left in overtime.
All five Augusta starters scored in double figures. The Jaguars were led by Deane Williams and Rafael Monteiro with 15 points each. Williams had yet another double-double as he grabbed 14 rebounds. Arnold, Tyvez Monroe and Tyree Myers each had 10 points for AU. Reserve Troy Cracknell added 11 points, making three treys.
Cracknell, who is from the Charlotte area, made a three-pointer with 1:43 left in overtime to give the Jaguars the lead for good at 70-68.
The second-seeded Jaguars shot 46.4 percent from the field and made 15 of 16 from the free throw line. The seventh-seeded Patriots (21-8) shot 41 percent and missed six free throws.
"We did not play well, but we did enough to win the game," AU Coach Dip Metress said afterwards. "(Francis Marion Coach) Gary (Edwards) jumbled it up, switched defenses every possession and got us out of our flow. Still, that was a great team win."
Winston Hill led the Patriots with 22 points, and Ryan Davis chipped in 20.
USC Aiken, behind Xzavier Barmore's 31 points, beat Lenoir-Rhyne 84-71 before the AU-Francis Marion game.
Queens will play Catawba at 7:30 p.m. in the other Sunday regional semifinal.