Jaguars edge Emmanuel University on the road to win fifth straight
Justin Gray | Sports editor
Although the fall semester is complete, the basketball schedule never stops as the Augusta University men took down Emmanuel University, 89-84, on Thursday, Dec. 12, to win their fifth straight.
It had been a week since the Jaguars (5-4) last took the floor against Paine College, and it was much needed to heal up from the first month of the season.
The break didn’t come with any rust as AU started the game out by scoring 13 points by the first media timeout, thanks to five points from both Demitri Gardner and Maximillian Amadasun.
The Jaguars would extend their lead to nine, the largest in the half, on a hook shot from Amadasun, but the Lions battled back to make a three-point game, 39-36, at halftime.
The game plan at the break was simple: The Jaguars needed to feed it to Amadasun inside, as well as defend on the perimeter better.
On Emmanuel’s first possession of the second half, Tavarus Webb knocked down a deep 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to tie the game. Webb went on to finish with 30 points.
After that, Jags started to slowly distance themselves from their hosts.
The biggest shot of the game came with around 10 minutes to go when AU led 58-51. Guard Elias Palsson caught the ball at the top of the key and nailed a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point difference.
It’s weird to call something the biggest play of the game at the time it came, but it felt like when that shot fell the Jaguars grabbed control of the game rather than the back-and-forth affair continuing.
Another huge sequence was when John St. Germain III, Gardner, and Evan Joyner hit 3-pointers on three back-to-back possessions to make it a 77-66 game. Joyner, the transfer from North Carolina A&T State University, would finish with 10 points.
Things got tight when Emmanuel made it a three-point game with a minute left, but Augusta was able to make free-throws and put it away.
The Jaguar big man, Amadasun, dominated once again and is playing at a conference player of the year level. He totaled 30 points and 14 rebounds; this was also his second 30-point double-double of the young season.
For his efforts, Amaadasun was named Peach Conference player of the week.
“Honestly the difference (between last season and this season) is my teammates,” said the 6-foot-10 center from Dublin, Ireland. “It wouldn’t be possible without the. We’re starting to figure it out.”
His teammate Gardner added 21 points, continuing to build on his already impressive start to the campaign.
St. Germain, the AU point guard from Charlottesville, Va., has really improved as a passer as he picked up eight more assists, tying his career-high and making it three straight games with seven or more assists.
“When we were 0-4, we had no identity and now we are forming one,” said AU Coach Dip Metress after his team’s fifth-straight victory. “It was a good win because they are a good team.”
Emmanuel is 4-0 in Conference Carolina play. Elisee Ehuie added 17 points for the Lions (5-4).
Augusta shot 58 percent from the field overall and 64 percent from behind the arc.
Picking up the big win resulted in another milestone for Metress as he registered win No. 575 of his storied coaching career.
The Jaguars will host USC Beaufort on Wednesday, Dec. 18, for their Peach Belt Conference opener and Columbia County Education day.
Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.
Max Amadasun (17) totaled 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Jaguars to an 89-84 win at Emmanuel. At the top of the page, Demitri Gardner tossed in 21 points, including three 3-pointers on a day when the Jags shot 64 percent from 3-point range. (photos by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
