Dominant first-half performance lifts No. 10 AU over Claflin 77-53
By Carlos Rodriguez | Co-editor in chief
The 10th-ranked Augusta University men’s basketball team remained undefeated (6-0) after defeating Claflin University (1-5) 77-53, Thursday night, Dec. 2, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
“We did a great job defensively,” said AU Coach Dip Metress. “Our zone defense was really good. I thought we played with the right energy and were very disciplined for the first 30 minutes.”
In the win Tyshaun Crawford scored a team-high 20 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Darren Lucas-White added a loud 13 points to go with 5 assists.
“They decided to play him (Crawford) one-on-one, so I just said we’ll throw him the ball and let him go to work,” said Metress.
David Viti and John Whitehead III both recorded 11 and 10 points, respectively. The pair both knocked down two 3-pointers a piece.
The Jaguars owned this game from the beginning, opening up the game with a 7-0 lead after a dunk from Crawford and five points by Miguel Arnold.
At the 14:07 mark, Troy Cracknell got a steal and pushed it down the count with a flashy behind the back move on the defender and flushed down a dunk to get the crowd on their feet as they went up 14-2.
Claflin was able to score some points but Augusta held them scoreless the final five minutes in the half and went on an 11-0 run. Freshman Ja’Queze Kirby scored the last bucket in the half, finishing an alley-oop layup pass from Lucas-White to head into halftime up 43-18.
In the second half Lucas-White gave AU a 38-point lead, their biggest of the game, after hitting a corner 3-pointer to go up 62-24 with 13:48 remaining.
The starting lineup didn’t play much in the half, giving the bench quality minutes. The defense eased up as certain points during the half there were lineups the Jags had on the floor that they’ve never ran with in practice stated Metress.
Claflin was able to have a better offensive half but still couldn’t manage to make the game close as the Jaguars rolled away with a 24-point win.
Five takeaways
1. Darren Lucas-White is REALLY good
When you have a guy averaging 13.5 PPG coming off the bench, that’s a scary thing for opposing teams and the best thing for your team. Lucas-White is the team’s spark plug. If starters aren’t setting the tone on the offensive or defensive ends, he comes right in to fill that void. Last season Lucas-White was a starter due to the circumstances of not having a healthy team which has clearly helped him. Having the responsibility of scoring more than he had to in years past last season grew his offensive game, which has transitioned into this season and has continued to rise. Against Claflin he was like The Flash up and down the court, attempting to steal any pass he could, even winding up in the sixth row of the bleachers after going for a loose ball he poked. He’s a perfect example of a highlight reel. On back-to-back possessions he went full court and euro-stepped past a defender for a crowd roaring layup then the next play threw an unbelievable no look alley-oop pass to Ja’Queze Kirby. “Even at the end of the game he tried to get a steal across the count. I’m like, ‘Where’d he come from.’ He’s just energetic,” said Metress. “Should he start? Yeah he could, but we know what we’re getting when he comes in the game.”
2. Tyshaun Crawford is hard to stop in the paint
Just like every team Augusta has faced, it was hard for the Panthers to stop the 7-footer in the paint. It takes more than one guy, sometimes even more than two defenders to try to stop Crawford. Most of the time it ends up in a foul sending him to the line, which this season I’m not sure if teams want to do that. Crawford has been very efficient from the line and knocked down 8-9 free throws against Claflin. The Panthers started playing Crawford one on one and the buckets just started pouring in more. When Crawford bullies his way through the paint, it’s going to be a long night for the defense. “I got to the line early; I had a lot of confidence going to the free throw line,” said Crawford. “My teammates kept giving it to me and they kept playing one-on-one and when we played one-on-one I got the finish.”
3. Defense wins championships
The AU defense was in full force the first half. The Jaguars held Claflin to shooting only 28.6-percent from the field and forced them to miss all of their first-half 3-point attempts. Claflin was very patient and the Jags took advantage of that by not letting up and making the Panthers take highly contested shots as the shot clock wound down. The defense capitalized on Claflin turnovers, scoring 24 points. Defense wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been in the second half, but like Metress mentioned it gave different guys a chance to play and at times they had lineups they’ve never used in practice, so it took some adjusting. Nonetheless it was a learning experience for the bench.
4. Viti and Whitehead III found their way
Viti and Whitehead III looked real comfortable out there. They both played a season-high in minutes and scored season-highs. Whitehead III looked a lot like he did late last season, shooting the ball very well and attacking the basket. Viti is new to Augusta fans, coming from Georgia Southern, but with his shooting touch he will be an X-factor coming off the bench. Both standing at 6-foot-5 allows them to stretch the floor and not only work in the perimeter but make their way in the paint against smaller lineups.
5. The team had fun
Throughout the game you could tell the team was having fun. Lucas-White had a smile on his face after making shots and flashy passes, the bench was energized by the exciting plays and everybody got minutes. The AU bench was loud and talking the whole game, the players hyping each other up. Nobody in the starting lineup played more than 24 minutes—which is a great thing to have to give other guys experience and be able to rest guys with a game two days away. And way to go senior Jack Johnson, who scored 2 points and received lots of support from students in attendance.
What’s Next?
The Jaguars No. 10 ranking in the NABC Coaches Poll came on Nov. 28, moving up seven spots from their ranking the previous week. AU is the only Peach Belt team in the rankings. Southeast Regional rival Queens University was ranked fourth but received their first loss Wednesday against Tusculum, so the Charlotte, N.C., team will likely drop down in the rankings.
“Any given night somebody can beat you,” said Metress. “The unique thing with us is we have less conference games than we’ve had in the past because Francis Marion and Pembroke (left the PBC), so we had to scramble to find some games and other teams are in conference play. Four out of five on the road to start the year and be nationally ranked is a good thing.”
The Jags will host Allen University (0-5) at Christenberry Fieldhouse Saturday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. They look to avenge their season-closing loss last season when they travelled to Allen and were defeated 72-68.
“They beat us last time, so we got a little chip on our shoulder,” said Crawford. “We’re going to go in there and show them why we’re number 10 in the nation.”
Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carrodriguez@augusta.edu.
Jaguar center Tyshaun Crawford (0) goes up for two of his 20 points in the win over Claflin. (photo by Viraj Bulla, special to the Bell Ringer) At the top of the page, AU guard Darren Lucas-White (11) takes the ball to the basket with authority. (photo by Carlos Rodriguez)
