AU men’s basketball team overwhelms Flagler on Stuff the Stadium night
By J.Ben Haynes | Sports writer
The Augusta University men’s basketball team (4-1, 10-5) delivered a dominant performance on Stuff the Stadium night, cruising to a 102-71 victory over Flagler College (2-3, 8-6) at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Jan 15.
The Jaguars started strong, building a commanding 44-19 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game. They shot an impressive 69 percent from the field and 71 percent from 3-point range in the first half, led by Demitri Gardner’s 16-point outburst.
“We are ranked 289th out of 290 Division II teams in 3-pointers attempted, but boy, they went in tonight,” said Jaguars’ coach Dip Metress. “We always want to take good shots... it was nice to see the ball go in.”
In addition to Gardner’s first half showing, Max Amadasun added 11 points in the first half, while John St. Germain III dished out six assists to facilitate the offense. The Jaguars closed the half with a 54-32 lead—their largest halftime lead of the season.
“We kind of jumped on them, and they uncharacteristically got out of their stuff,” Metress said.
Augusta scored 53 more points than they did in a loss at USC Aiken on Sunday, Jan. 13. They margins in the two games jumped 66 points.
AU is in a five-way tie for first place in the PBC with USC Aiken, North Georgia, Lander, USC Beaufort and Columbus State.
The Jaguars next host Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m.
Contact J.Ben Haynes at jamhaynes@augusta.edu.
““I think our size really bothered them around the basket.””
Augusta’s dominance continued in the second half, with the largest lead reaching 35 points when freshman Jon Tran nailed his first career 3-pointer with 6:39 left in regulation.
Three Jaguars finished in double figures. Gardner led all scorers with 26 points, Amadasun recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds—his eighth of the season—and St. Germain III contributed 16 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance. The Saints were led by Hoku Fisher and Max Hrdlicka who each contributed 12 points.
“We talked about needing to bring more energy and effort this game, and it showed,” St. Germain III said. “The crowd was behind us, and it was great to see so many people come out and support.”
Augusta aims to keep its momentum going as it hosts Peach Belt Conference rival Georgia Southwestern on Student Appreciation Night this Saturday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m. at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Photo at the top of the screen is Demetri Gardner (#2) going up for a contested layup against Flagler (All Photos by Lydia Williams/The Bell Ringer).
Contact J. Ben Haynes at jamhaynes@augusta.edu
AU center Max Amadasun (17) goes up for two of his 18 points in the Jaguars’ Peach Belt Conference win over the Saints. Amadasun also grabbed 10 rebounds. At the top of the page, Demitri Gardner (2) drives to the bucket on a night when he had 28 points to lead all scorers. (photos by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
