AU rides Kirby, Crawford and Arnold to win over Belmont Abbey in SE Regional opener
By Chris Rickerson | Sports editor
Augusta University men’s basketball team defeated Belmont Abbey 106-77 in the first round of Division II NCAA Regional Tournament on Saturday, March 12, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The Jaguars (29-3) will play former Peach Belt rival UNC Pembroke in the regional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. The Braves (27-3) defeated Flagler 74-70 in the opening round Saturday night.
Lincoln Memorial (26-4) will play Queens (29-3) in the other regional semifinal at 5 p.m. Both games will be at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Saturday’s win was AU Coach Dip Metress’s first matchup against Belmont Abbey, where he coached from 1996-2004.
The Jaguars shot an impressive 13 of 21 on 3-pointers. Guard Miguel Arnold was 5 of 11 from the 3-point arc. Arnold finished with 19 points.
Freshman forward Ja’Queze Kirby led the Jaguars in scoring with 25 points and had 11 rebounds. Kirby said AU center Tyshaun Crawford’s presence plays a major role in the team’s offensive efficiency.
“Tyshaun plays a big part; he always gets us open,” said Kirby.
Metress also commented on Kirby’s performance.
“The best thing he did tonight was play through contact,” he said. “He was good tonight. I took him out at that end. We are in a weird situation. We got nine guys dressed, so we got to get guys out to play a little more, but he was really good tonight.”
Crawford finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds and two blocks.
Metress commented on the way the 7-foot center from Griffin (Ga.) has develop as a player over time.
“He didn’t play well, and he had 21 points,” said Metress. “He did good but didn’t play as well he is capable of playing, but you know he has come a long way. He is getting confidence, a little too confident at times. He wants the ball late in the game because he is not afraid to get fouled and in order to be a good player, you can’t be afraid to get through contact late in the game.”
With seven early points by Kirby, AU built a 15-5 lead to start the game.
AU continued to shoot at a high rate in the first half and not turnover the ball, shooting 17 of 30 from the field and 8 of 11 on 3-pointers, with only one turnover as well. The Jaguars led 54-32 at the half.
“I don’t like turnovers,” Metress said. “I think my team knows that. We try not to turn over the ball anytime in practice.”
AU would finish with just five turnovers for the game while forcing 14 by the Crusaders.
The Jaguars extended their lead even further in the second half, holding the Crusaders to 4 of 17 from the 3-point line. Even late in the game, up by 30 points, AU continued to hustle, force turnovers, fight for rebounds and play with high energy until the final whistle.
“That’s contagious,” said Metress. “That was great to see guys continuing to fight for loose balls and we kind of knew we had to play the whole game, they were very skilled in some spots.”
No. 3 Lincoln Memorial also moved on to the Region semifinals with a 100-65 win over No. 6 Georgia College. No. 2 Queens defeated No. 7 Columbus State 86-84 in a very tight game.
The winners Sunday will advance to play in the regional championship on Tuesday, March 15.
Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.
AU’s Darren Lucas-White (11) drives to the basket against Belmont Abbey at Christenberry Fieldhouse. (photo by Chris Rickerson) At the top of the page, Ja’Queze Kirby (13) goes in for a dunk for AU. (photo by Madison Keel)
Ja’Queze Kirby (13) led the Jaguars to their 15th straight win with 25 points and 11 rebounds. (photo by Viraj Bulla, special to the Bell Ringer)
Augusta’s David Viti attempts a layup against Belmont in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Southeast Regional at Christenberry Fieldhouse. (photo by Madison Keel)
The Jaguars’ Darren Lucas-White (11) drives past Belmont Abbey’s KJ Garrett during AU’s 106-77 Southeast Regional victory. (photo by Madison Keel)
