Jaguars' five-game win streak snapped at Emmanuel

Justin Gray | Sports editor 

It was a New Year’s Day to forget as the Augusta University men’s basketball team was defeated by Emmanuel, 85-71, in Franklin Springs on Monday afternoon.

AU, playing its first game in nearly two weeks, saw its five-game winning streak halted.

 The Jaguars (7-3) had a decent crowd size at the game for it to be more than 100 miles away from Augusta, and the Jag faithful were on the referees’ cases all afternoon.   

It was a tightly contested game midway through the first half when Emmanuel had only a 24-22 lead over the Jaguars. The Lions (11-4) then went on a 8-0 run, and the Jaguars never got it back to within eight. 

On the offensive side of the ball, Augusta shot 48 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. They even went 16 of 17 on free throws, but it was everything but the offense that got them beat in this one. 

Emmanuel, which had lost at AU 78-73 on Dec. 19, shot it 50 percent from the field and capitalized off of the Jaguars’ 14 turnovers. Emmanuel, which had only 10 turnovers, had the edge in almost every category.  

It was a frustrating game for Jaguar center Max Amadasun, who has been consistent all season. He had 12 points on 13 shots and nine rebounds in the affair. The referees certainly didn’t do him any favors.  

“I’m frustrated,” said the 6-foot-10 center. “When you are on the road, you are supposed to come with a fighter mentality, and they beat us fair and square.”  

Demitri Gardner led the Jaguars in scoring with 13 points. This is nothing unusual for him with the impressive campaign he put together in non-conference play.  

“I’m not happy with the outcome obviously,” said the scoring machine from Virginia. “I feel like we just need to stay together as a team to work towards a better outcome in the game.”  

Augusta Coach Dip Metress was called for another technical in this game, but it was understandable with the way this game was officiated.  

The Jaguars were called for 24 fouls to Emmanuel’s 14.  

“Credit to them, as they got to the free throw line,” said Metress. “They may have been a little bit fresher than us, as well being they played a game just two days ago, but we have to get ready for conference play now.”  

Ja’Queze Kirby added 11 points for Augusta, and David Viti had 10. Carson Seemann added nine.

Emmanuel’s leading scorer was Kelvin Jones, who finished 30 points. That makes 73 points in his last two games, as Jones had 43 in an 85-72 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Kendall Latney added 16 and Nate Gordon scored 15.  

The Jaguars will take the court again on Wednesday, Jan. 3, to begin Peach Belt Conference play at USC Beaufort. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.  

On Saturday, Dec. 30, the AU women routed Erskine 74-39. The Jaguars (6-4) were led by Kennedi Manning with 14 points and six rebounds. The Jag women will also open PBC play at USC Beaufort on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.