Arnold, Lucas-White make statements in the Jaguars' 83-65 win over Columbus State
By Aaron Smith | Sports writer
While the 13th-ranked Augusta University Jaguars often rely on their defense to win games, it was the offense of Miguel Arnold and Darren Lucas-White that secured the win against the Columbus State Cougars on Monday, Dec. 12, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Coming off their first Peach Belt Conference win on Saturday against Georgia Southwestern State University, starters Miguel Arnold and Darren-Lucas White scored 16 points, respectively, to go along with the 27 points from center Tyshaun Crawford, to give the Jaguars enough of a scoring punch to propel them past the Cougars.
Arnold scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, and he said that he wasn’t worried about the slow start he had in the first half.
“Teams always play me differently every night,” Arnold said. “We have a great point guard in Tyree (Myers), and he’s always telling me to run because he’ll find me eventually, so I just keep a positive mindset knowing that the shot attempts are going to come along.”
Arnold would start off the second half hot, scoring the first five points of the half for the Jaguars and hitting a timely 3-pointer that sparked a 12-0 Jaguars run.
He said that he and the team were able to build on their 38-36 halftime lead by playing disciplined basketball.
“Recently, we’ve been getting into the habit of going into halftime with a big lead and letting it slip away,” Arnold said. “Tonight, like always, we focused on getting some stops because we knew that we were going to score. We just gotta keep the defensive intensity.”
While Arnold scored the bulk of his points in the second half, Lucas-White started the game by contributing 13 points in the first half.
“In the first half, I just started off being aggressive,” Lucas-White said. “I just got to my spots and felt comfortable out there. In the second half, I slowed down to get my teammates involved in the offense, but the goal for me was to have a balanced game.”
Although Lucas-White had a n outstanding game, totaling 16 points and notching 12 rebounds and 4 assists, he said that being a team player is what makes this team so successful.
“My role in this team is to make shots and be aggressive,” Lucas-White said. “In the second half, the goal was to get (Ja’Queze) Kirby and Tyshaun the ball more, but I’m just a team player, and we have a bunch of team players on this team. That’s why we were able to pull out the win.”
Contact Aaron Smith at madsmith@augusta.edu.
AU senior guard Darren Lucas-White had a big night, totaling 16 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. At the top of the page, Jaguar senior guard Miguel Arnold knocks down a jumper. (staff photos)
