Jaguars survive UNC Pembroke, advance to Southeast Regional championship game

By Katron Hugee | Sports writer

Augusta University defeated UNC Pembroke 82-76 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional semifinals on Sunday, March 13, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

“There are very few teams playing when the clocks move forward,” Coach Dip Metress said afterwards, “so it was a really hard-fought game and I’m proud of them.” 

AU was led by center Tyshaun Crawford, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. The 7-foot center from Griffin (Ga.) was 7 of 10 from the field and a perfect 7 of 7 from the foul line.

The victory puts AU in the regional championship game against Queens on Tuesday night, March 15. Tipoff is set for 7 o’clock, at Christenberry. Queens defeated Lincoln Memorial 81-76 in the other semifinal Sunday.

The Jaguars (30-3), coming off their 100-65 victory against Belmont Abbey in the quarterfinals, faced UNC Pembroke, which defeated Flagler College 74-70 in the first round of the regional tournament. The Braves are a former member of the Peach Belt Conference and long-time rivals with the Jaguars.

The semifinal began highly contested as the score was tied at 10-10 five minutes into the opening half. The  game remained close with UNC Pembroke (27-4) leading 20-19 with 10 minutes left in the half.

A 5-0 run by the Braves pushed their lead to six, but the Jaguars retied the game at 27-27 on a Miguel Arnold 3-pointer. The teams continued to trade baskets with UNC Pembroke taking a slim lead of 35-34 with two minutes left in the half.

The Braves ended the half on a 5-0 run, as Jordan Ratliffe nailed a 3-pointer right before the first-half buzzer. This gave the Braves a 40-34 lead at halftime.

The Jaguars came out of the half re-energized and immediately went on a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead. This run was capped by a corner 3-pointer from Arnold to give AU a 43-40 edge.

After a layup from Ratliffe, the Jaguars went on a 10-2 run to give them a nine-point lead, their largest of the game. Starting in the second half, the overall 19-4 run by AU would make the score 53-44 with 14 minutes remaining. The Braves responded, however, with 10-3 run to cut the lead to two points.

Then after a jumper from AU point guard Tyree Myers pushed the Jaguar lead back to four, AU’s David Viti was called for a personal foul, followed by a technical foul.

Viti fouled out of the game on this sequence, and the Braves’ Tyrell Kirk made both free throws for a 58-56 AU edge. Pembroke scored fourth straight for 60-58 lead with nine minutes left in the game.

Crawford hit two free throws to tie it, and then Javonte Waverly hit a jumper to give UNCP a two-point lead. Myers made a layup, and he and Troy Cracknell each hit a free throw for a 64-62 AU lead with 5:36 left. Two free throws from Crawford gave AU a 66-62 advantage with just under 5 minutes remaining. Kirk sandwiched two baskets around a hoop for 68-66 with 2:56 to play in regulation.

Then a pass in the post from Crawford  to Myers for a 3-pointer gave AU a five-point lead at 71-66 with 2:22 remaining.

UNC Pembroke, however, would not go away. The 11th-ranked Braves responded with a 5-0 run and tied the game at 71-71.

Then Crawford made another huge play down the stretch, hitting a jump hook and drawing the foul. Crawford made the free throw, giving the Jaguars a three-point advantage.

“I believe in them and they believe in me,” Crawford said of his teammates after the game. “I work on it, and my guys trust me, so I just use their trust and do what I’m supposed to do.”

The Braves countered with Kirk hitting a 3-pointer for a 74-74 tie. Kirk played excellent down the stretch, scoring 18 points in the game and nine of the Braves’ last 12.

After a Jaguars’ timeout, a foul sent Myers to the free throw line. Myers knocked down both, pushing the Jaguar lead back up to 2.

Then, AU’s Darren Lucas-White would pick up Kirk on defense, forcing the Brave into a turnover out of bounds. That would prove the play of the game on the defensive end for Augusta.

From there, the Braves would foul, and the Jaguars hit their free throws for the six-point victory.

In addition to Crawford’s 21 points, Arnold added 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Both Myers and Cracknell totaled 15 points as well. Myers also led the team with six assists. AU made 22 of 28 from the line, while UNCP was 15 of 19 at the stripe.

After the game, Cracknell spoke about the importance of facing adversity in a championship hunt.

“These are the most exciting games we’ve had,” Cracknell said. “These close battles are what we need to define ourselves and define who we are.”

The Jaguars, who have now won 16 straight games, advance to the sweet sixteen and face a Queens team (30-3) that has won a program-best 17 in a row.

“This is gonna be a high-level game on Tuesday,” Metress said. “But there’s always a point in the game where the home court helps you, and that’s why you work all year to get this advantage.”

Nationally, Queens is ranked fourth and AU is fifth. The Royals defeated the Jaguars 91-78 in the 2019 regional championship game in Charlotte, N.C. If AU wins the regional championship contest, it will have the most wins in a single season in program history. AU also won 30 games in both 2008-09 and 2010-11.

Tuesday’s winner will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, which will be played on March 22 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.

Contact Katron Hugee at khugee@augusta.edu.

Darren Lucas-White (11) pushes the ball down the court against UNC Pembroke in the Southeast Region semifinal at Christenberry Fieldhouse. At the top of the page, Tyshaun Crawford slams home two points for the Jaguars; Crawford shot 7 of 10 from the field and 7 of 7 from the foul line for AU. (photos by Madison Keel)

The Jaguars’ Miguel Arnold (5) launches a 3-pointer over the Braves’ Javonte Waverly (10). Arnold scored 16 points on a 4-of-6 shooting night from behind the arc. (photo by Madison Keel)

Troy Cracknell (12) and Tyshaun Crawford (0) react to a made basket for the Jaguars. AU’s Darren Lucas-White (11) and UNC Pembroke’s Spencer Levi also watch. (photo by Madison Keel)

The Jaguars huddle up just before the start of the second half of the Southeast Region semifinal. (photo by Madison Keel)