By Tyvez Monroe |Sports writerThe Augusta University men's basketball team defeated Barton College 86-73 in a non-conference game at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Nov. 30.The Jags improved to 4-2 on the season while the Bulldogs dropped to 3-5.Augusta opened things up with an early lead as Troy Cracknell dropped in a three-pointer 32 seconds into the contest. Rafael Monteiro lined it up with a speedy jumper on the baseline to make it 5-0 Jags.The Bulldogs exploited Augusta's turnovers, tying things up at 16 with 12:50 to go. Two minutes later, Barton went up 23-18 due to Augusta’s turnovers (12 in the first half).Monteiro put in a long three to stem the tide and, after Cracknell made a jumper to pull ahead one point, dropped in another bucket to give the Jags a 34-30 lead at the half. The Jaguars began to secure the ball late in the half, committing no errors, and would only have five turnovers in the second half.At the beginning of the second half, Barton opened things up with a 10-0 run. Augusta wouldn't trail for long, as Miguel Arnold slipped past the defense with a layup and minutes later Cracknell would make a couple of free throws to tie it up.At 12:57, Arnold gave the Jags their first lead since the beginning of the half, making both of his free throws to carry the score to 49-47. The Jags quickly gave up the lead once more, yet Tyree Myers put down a three-pointer to take it back, this time for good.The Bulldogs kept things close, until Arnold ended chances of a comeback with an NBA three-pointer.Monteiro was the top scorer for Augusta, going 11 of 16 from the field and totaling 22 in the game. Monteiro also had nine rebounds.Darren Lucas-White was a key player the entire afternoon. The sophomore guard scored 18 points, had six teals and snatched four rebounds, going five-of-seven from the field and making in seven-of-eight free tosses, a team high.Sophomore Tyshaun Crawford was a monster down low on the court, blocking six shots and gathering eight rebounds.As a team, Augusta shot 53.6 percent (30 of 56) from the field. That included a 5-for-17 afternoon from downtown. The Jags got 40 rebounds in the game, compared to 32 for the Bulldogs, and AU totaled eight steals and seven blocks. AU held its second straight opponent to under 40 percent from the field. Barton shot 39 percent after Benedict had shot 36 percent the previous Tuesday night.Isaiah Reddish led Barton with 18 points, and Blake Burdack had 16. The Jaguars return to action on Thursday, Dec. 5, when they entertain the Emmanuel Lions at 11 a.m.