Jags start strong, but Clemson pulls away in hoops exhibition
By Justin Gray | Sports editor
CLEMSON, S.C.—Augusta men’s basketball team lost to ACC power Clemson in the Jaguars’ first exhibition of the season, 90-49, on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Things started out well for the Jaguars as they exploited the Clemson defense’s weaknesses and grabbed an early 10-9 lead.
From there on, it was all Clemson as the Tigers blew the game open with a 12-2 run and then ran away with it.
AU struggled to find an open shot as in the last 10 minutes of the first half and when they did, a Tiger defender quickly closed in.
The Tigers led the Jaguars 45-23 at halftime, mostly because of their physicality and ability to shoot the long ball.
The second half continued to be more of the same, but the Jaguars saw their freshmen step up and play big roles, which was good for AU Coach Dip Metress and company to see.
“Our freshmen made less mistakes than our upperclassmen,” said Metress. “Luis (Nonfon), Elías (Pálsson) and Chaevon (Torrance) didn’t make any mental mistakes.”
Those three made their hay in the paint and caused havoc on the defensive side of the ball. The offense will come as they only combined for seven on the Jaguars’ 49 points.
Picking up from where he left off last year, Demitri Gardner led the charge for the Blue and White as he totaled 22 points on 8 of 17 from the field. He also grabbed three rebounds, a steal and had one assist.
“If I’m being honest, I know it says I had 22 points, but I know there were some things I could go out there and do better,” said the Winchester, Va., product. “I could’ve played better defense and made less mental mistakes.”
Behind him on the scoring chart was sophomore John St. Germain III, who had an outstanding freshman campaign. He had 10 points, including a couple tough finishes against one of the best defensive perimeter teams at the NCAA Division I level.
“I think we will become more physical on the ball in the long run because of this challenge,” said the AU point guard. “Going forward, we won’t be lackadaisical and let passes get through.”
The Jaguars were able to get 11 of their 12 players into the game to get minutes in this one, and that is a big emphasis coming from last season.
Midway through the season in 2023-24, four of the five starters were averaging over 30 minutes per game and they have mentioned not wanting to have to resort to that, and tonight was a good start.
Metress thinks his team could play better, but could only describe this contest in two words.
“Woodshed beating,” said Metress
The AU coach went on to say that Clemson is a “good team and did their job.”
The Tigers made it to the Elite Eight last season under Coach Brad Brownell, now the dean of ACC coaches.
Against AU, Clemson shot 51 percent, compared to just 37 percent for the Jaguars. The Tigers outrebounded the visitors 41-30.
Even with this big loss, there were a lot of positives for this AU team, and the Jags will be better because of this. The Jaguars are going to be a tough physical test for anyone they encounter this upcoming season.
On the Clemson side of things, they had four guys in double-digit scoring in Chauncey Wiggins (18), Chase Hunter (15), Christian Reeves (11) and Myles Foster (10).
Hunter also picked up four assists and totaled a +/- of 26, the highest of either team.
For Augusta, up next is a tough final exhibition against Emory University, who defeated the Jags last year, 96-86, and Coach Jaso Zimmerman return a lot of their talent. The Eagles are ranked eighth in the first Division III poll of the year.
The game will start 20 minutes after the AU Women’s volleyball team’s game against USC Aiken that begins at 3 p.m.
After the exhibition, the Jaguars will rest for a few days before they head to Wilson, N.C., to take on Mount Olive at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, and then the host team Barton College at 1 p.m. the following day. The Jaguars swept through this doubleheader last year.
Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.
AU’s Elias Palsson (8) drives to the hoop against Clemson in the Jaguars’ exhibition game at Littlejohn Coliseum. At the top of the page, Demitri Gardner (2) led the way for Augusta with 22 points (photos by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
Augusta’s John St. Germain III drives to the basket for two of his 10 points in the Jaguars’ exhibition at Clemson on Oct. 30. (photo by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
AU’s Evan Joyner (0 in blue) goes up for shot over Clemson’s Viktor Lakhin (0 in white) during the Tigers’ victory over the Jaguars in an exhibition game at Littlejohn Coliseum. (photo by Paula Toole/AU Athletics)
