Augusta bounces back into win column in dogfight against Columbus State

By Carlos Rodriguez | Co-editor in chief 

A couple of weeks ago when Augusta (13-2, 3-2) and Columbus State (11-4, 3-3) met, the Cougars handed the Jaguars their first loss of the season, leaving a bad taste in their mouths. 

AU took the rematch on Saturday, Jan. 15, at Christenberry Fieldhouse personally, sending the Cougars back home with a 77-65 loss.  

As if the 12th-ranked Jags needed any more fuel to the fire, prior to the rematch AU suffered another loss, this time at the hands of Lander. The Jaguars were not settling for a second-straight loss.  

“You don’t ever want to get swept,” said AU coach Dip Metress. “If you’re going to try to win the league, there are five teams you have got to win home and away. That gives you 10 wins and the other four you have to split with people. We have to keep protecting home court and figure out how to play better on the road.” 

Ja’Queze Kirby poured in four 3-pointers en route to his team-high 18-point performance. Kirby had a bounce-back game after being shut out in the loss at Lander. 

"I felt like I let the team down last game, so I tried to come into this game with a different mindset,” said Kirby. “It was all a team effort. We played good defense which led to us executing on the other end.”  

Troy Cracknell recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds while Tyshaun Crawford also had 15 points and grabbed eight boards. Darren Lucas-White scored 13 points and Tyree Myers added 12 points with six assists.  

The Jaguars held two CSU starters to zero points, but the Cougars still had four players in double figures. Langston Gaither led with 18 points. Hunter Preston scored 16, Devan Porter-Wilson 15 and Nelson Haskin 10. 

Despite the 12-point win, this game was a hard-fought battle the whole way. AU didn’t obtain a double-digit lead until the final minute.  

In the first half, AU jumped out to a 9-1 lead early in the game after a trio of baskets from Crawford and a 3-pointer by Myers.  

At the 9:39 mark, Lucas-White put the Jags up 18-12 after knocking down a transition mid-range jumper from the right wing.  

CSU’s Hunter Preston gave the Cougars the lead after making a jumper to go up 28-27 with 4:18 remaining before halftime. Shortly after Kirby tied things up at 30 with a 3-pointer.  

The Cougars broke the tie and went on a 7-0 run after a five-point spurt from Wilson-Porter and another jumper by Preston to go up 37-30 with 2:02 remaining.  

Kirby answered back with a 5-0 run of his own, making a 3-pointer on one possession and then coming back down and throwing down a dunk after catching an alley-oop pass from Lucas-White. 

“Kirby, who did not play well against Lander, was banging shots in today and played with great energy,” said Metress. “Those threes kept us in the game.” 

At the break, Augusta trailed Columbus St. 41-37. The Jaguars struggled from deep, only shooting 29.4-percent in the opening half. 

The Cougars maintained the lead early in the second half, but at the 15:42 mark Cracknell knotted the game up at 51 with a 3-pointer after a feed from Myers.  

Myers' elite passing skills were on display again after linking up with the high-flying Kirby, who threw down another alley-oop dunk to put AU up 58-56 with 9:28 remaining. 

Later in the half, the Jags went on an 11-0 run started by Myers finishing a contact layup. The next basket was by Cracknell with a 3-pointer from the top of the key that put the Jags up 65-63.  

Miguel Arnold followed that with a steal and dish to Lucas-White, who finished the fastbreak with a layup.  

“When Miguel got the loose ball and threw it to Darren, that was a big play because it led to a layup. I thought that was a big play to separate the lead and get the crowd into it,” said Metress. 

Arnold is the team's biggest threat from 3-point range but is battling a shoulder injury, according to Metress. 

“Miguel hurt his shoulder in the Lander game, so he wasn’t 100-percent,” said Metress. “I don’t think he’s ever dribbled the ball so much, but he drove it because he really couldn’t lift his arm and he made a difference by driving the ball.” 

Crawford capped off Augusta’s run with a dunk to go up 71-63 with 1:30 remaining. The Jaguars knocked down a couple of free throws in crunch time to seal the win and avenge Columbus St. 77-65.  

In the second half, the Cougars only made seven field goals, converting on only 22.6-percent of their shots. Metress spoke about the switch on defense that helped AU get the win. 

“We hopped into a zone because we couldn’t guard them off the bounce; they were getting to the rim,” said Metress. 

Next up AU will host Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The Jags are hosting the first annual “Stuff The Stadium” event. 

Fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to donate to the Ronald McDonald House that’ll be thrown onto the court after Augusta scores its first points. 

“We’ll probably get a technical, but I don’t care,” said Metress. “It’ll be a neat little thing, so hopefully we keep it an annual tradition.”

Note: At the top of the page, Ja’Quez Kirby (13) goes up for two points for AU; Kirby scored 18 in the win over Columbus State. (photo by AU Athletics)

Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carrodriguez@augusta.edu.