By Ravyn Chatmon|Online editorThe Augusta University men’s basketball team defeated UNC-Pembroke 75-65 on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 15, at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The Jaguars (12-4 in the Peach Belt Conference, 17-7 overall) upped their winning streak to six games and now are just one game out of first place.Saturday's victory by Augusta avenged a 95-56 loss at UNC-Pembroke on Jan. 18.Despite a close first half Saturday, when the defense shone on both ends of the floor, the Jaguars pulled through strong in the second half."We held their pressure in check," said AU Coach Dip Metress in his office after the game as he compared the two games. "We had only about three shooting turnovers. Last time, we were up one point at halftime, and they outscored us by 40 in the second half. In that game, we shot it too quick. Our guards accepted the challenge today, and our guards definitely accepted the challenge."Sophomore guard Tyree Myers led AU with 18 points on 2-of-2 shooting behind the three-point line. Senior Rafael Monteiro also had 18 points with 5-of-8 from the field, and 8-of-12 from the free throw line. In the first half, Monteiro got a deep scratch on his face that required stitches. For a spell, neither Monteiro nor 7-foot center Tyshaun Crawford was on the floor, as Crawford picked up two fouls in the first half. At that stage of the game, Metress went with a four-guard offense against the taller Braves.Junior Troy Cracknell seemed to make every big hustle play and had 15 points with 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Sophomores Crawford and Darren Lucas-White led the team in rebounds, having seven each, as AU out rebounded UNCP 31-22.
The UNCP Braves (19-5, 13-3) were led by Tyrell Kirk, who recorded 16 points. Jordan Ratliffe and Micah Kinsey totaled 12 and nine points, respectively.Monteiro put the Jags on the board first with a free throw with 18:48 remaining in the first half. Although UNCP followed by racking up 11 points during the first seven minutes of the game, the Jaguars found their stride midway through the first half with a 10-0 run, putting them at a 15-11 lead with 9:13 remaining. The teams traded baskets back and forth until a layup by Monteiro gave the Jags a 30-23 lead with 1:51 remaining. In the last two seconds of the half, Cracknell made a layup and brought the score to 34-30.The second half opened with a three-point jump shot by Myers with 19:40 remaining. Jaguars kept the lead during the entire second half. A layup, also by Myers, gave AU their biggest lead of 13 points (71-58) with 5:04 remaining. Although UNCP made some successful shots, the second half belonged to the Jags. The final shots from the Jaguars came from two free throws by Myers with 00:52 remaining. UNC Pembroke couldn’t overcome the double-digit deficit, and the Jaguars took the win that avenged the loss last month.For the whole game, Jags shot 58.3 percent from the field compared to UNCP’s 44.9 percent. The effort shown in the second half played a major role in securing the win. During the second half, Jags made 50 percent of all three-pointers compared to UNCP’s 25 percent. Jags also shot 62.5 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the free throw line. UNCP shot 42.9 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from the free throw line.This win puts the Jaguars in second place in the Peach Belt Conference, ahead of Lander. USC Aiken (13-3) and UNC Pembroke (13-3) are tied for first.The Jaguars are on a six-game streak, but they are making sure to stay focused and keep their heads in the game.“We’re just taking it one game at a time, just trying to get wins one by one by one," Myers said. "We’re still trying to win the championship. That’s the ultimate goal."In the women's game, Zairya West scored 19 points to lead AU to a 69-63 win over UNC-Pembroke. Kennedi Manning added 15 points and eight rebounds and Kiera Howard added 14 points, as the Jaguars (6-10, 9-15) won their second straight game after an eight-game losing streak. UNCP (5-11, 10-14) was led by Aliyah Farmer with 22 points. Augusta started fast with a 15-6 first quarter, but UNCP came back with a 26-13 second quarter. The Jaguars took control in the third with a 24-10 run.The Jags will play their next conference game against University of North Georgia Nighthawks on Wednesday, Feb. 19, in Dahlonega at 7:30 p.m. The women's game will start at 5:30 p.m.
Contact Ravyn Chatmon at RCHATMON@augusta.edu