AU men defeat Georgia Southwestern to improve to 5-1 in PBC play
Darin Bragg | Sports writer
The Jaguars continued their winning ways in Peach Belt Conference play with a 77-69 victory over Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
They move to 5-1 in conference play and are in a three-way tie for first place in the standings alongside Columbus State and USC Beaufort.
Christenberry Fieldhouse saw a crowd of 876 for Pajama Night, and AU Coach Dip Metress was very pleased with his team’s performance as well.
“We were able to get a win,” Metress said. “I was able to wear pajamas. It’s a win-win.”
Regarding the game, Metress wanted his squad to match the Hurricanes’ physically in the second half better than they did in the first.
“They came out and punched us in the face,” he said. “We had guys picking up bad fouls, but I’m glad in the second half we played physical, so that’s a big plus.”
Junior Demitri Gardner got off to a fast start, scoring the first 12 points for the Jaguars.
“I try to lead by example on the court, so if I come out hot, everyone is going to pick it up eventually,” said the guard from Winchester, Va.
He would end the night with 27 points, leading all scorers in the contest.
As mentioned earlier, foul trouble was a big issue for the Jaguars, as they had four starters pick up two fouls in the first half and faced a large free throw disparity for most of the night.
Even with this, they held the Hurricanes to just 38 percent shooting from the field, and the stout defense led them to the win. Augusta itself shot 49 percent from the field and 82 percent from the line.
Sophomore guard John St. Germain III was crucial in the second half, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the period.
“I try to focus on knowing when to score and when to pass, and I know my guys will reward me on the defensive end.,” he said.
The point guard from Charlottesville, Va., also contributed with four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Outside of Gardner and St. Germain’s strong nights, the Jags saw Max Amadasun and Evan Joyner score in double figures, with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Amadasun also had 11 rebounds.
Josiah Shackleford led the Hurricanes (0-6, 6-10) with 17 points, and Lars Nilsen added 15 points.
Up next for the Jaguars will be a road test against Lander, who will enter that contest with a 10-6 record overall while being 4-2 in PBC play. The Bearcats are coming off an 88-86 win at Georgia College. The AU-Lander game will be Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Contact Darin Bragg at dbragg@augusta.edu.
Demitri Gardner (2) drives for two of his 27 points as he led the Jaguars to a 77-69 Peach Belt Conference win over Georgia Southwestern. Gardner also had four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. At the top of the page, AU’s John St. Germain III (4) drives to the basket on the Hurricanes’ Antewan Webber Jr.; the Jaguar point guard had 18 points, four rebounds and three steals. (photos by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
Augusta’s Evan Joyner (0) slams home the dunk as teammate Max Amadasun (17) watches. (photo by by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
