Metress notches career win No. 500 as Jaguars defeat Lander in double overtime

By Carlos Rodriguez | Sports editor

GREENWOOD, S.C.—Forty minutes wasn’t enough time to determine a winner between Augusta and Lander. Instead, it would take 50 minutes.

The Jaguars defeated the Bearcats in double overtime, 99-97, on Saturday, Feb. 20, as AU head coach Dip Metress achieved his 500th career win.

“Most people don’t coach 500 games in their life, and I’ve been fortunate to win 500 games,” said Metress. “Good assistants, good players, and my wife and daughter put up with me.”

Metress has been coaching at Augusta since the 2004-05 season. He spent the eight previous seasons coaching at NCAA Division II Belmont Abbey. Three hundred and sixty-six of his wins have been at AU. He’s the Jaguars’ all-time winningest basketball coach. 

“I think players love coming to play for him because he will keep it 100 percent with you no matter if you like it or not.,” said junior guard Tyree Myers. “He’s got your back on and off the floor.”

Augusta was led by Myers, who finished with 29 points, scoring 15 of them in the second half. Myers was big from three-point range, making five of his 10 attempts. He also added six assists, including a key pass to freshman John Whitehead III late in the second overtime.

“I just want to do whatever the team needs me to do in order to win,” said Myers. “If it’s scoring, passing, defense, I don’t care. I just want to win.”

Junior Tyshaun Crawford scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and swatted four shots. The 7-foot-1 center also shot an efficient 7 of 9 from the charity stripe. Off the bench Lee Flenor produced 16 points. 

The home crowd was electric inside Finis Horne Arena as the Bearcats came back from behind in the second half and first overtime period to make for an interesting game. 

The Bearcats came out the gate strong from deep. Jared Sherfield hit two back-to-back threes that gave Lander a 8-3 lead with 17:39 remaining. Myers gave Augusta their first lead of the night at the 14:33 mark after hitting his first three of the game to go up 10-9.

Neither team created separation as numerous ties and lead changes occurred.

In the final possession of the half, AU freshman Daniel Allen made a buzzer beater mid-range jumper from the top of the key to tie the game at 39 heading into halftime.

It was Allen’s first game as a Jaguar as he was recently medically cleared.

“Dan played and hasn’t practiced since before the election, not the inauguration,” said Metress. “Dan helped us he got two post feeds and got a bucket.”

In the second half the Jags came out aggressive as Crawford threw down a dunk in the opening minute. The Bearcats responded jumping out to their biggest lead of the game after Jermaine Patterson knocked down a shot to go up 51-45 with 15:55 left.

Augusta went on an 8-0 run from that point, starting with a three from Myers, followed by an and-one conversion by Darren Lucas-White, and ending with a layup make by Flenor.

With under six minutes of play left, Whitehead III made a jumper to give AU a 73-64 lead.

The Bearcats were down 78-74 with a minute left to play but LaRaymond Spivery knocked down a big three-point basket to cut the lead to 78-77 with 44 seconds left. Lander sent Myers to the line to shoot two in order to stop the clock and Myers made both, going up 80-77 with nine seconds remaining.

Lander (4-7, 6-9) inbounded from full court and quickly advanced the ball to half court and called a timeout to regroup and set up a play with 6.7 seconds left. After the timeout, Zane Rankin fed Spivery, who was crammed at the top of the key but dished it to Deon Berrien, who put up a heavily contested three-point shot that went in at the buzzer, tying the game and sending it into overtime. 

“I looked up it was 6.7, they get scrambled, he takes it and drive and shoots a step back three,” said Metress. “I asked our guys during a huddle do they believe in our defense and they did. Well, we didn’t do it there, but we did it later in the game.”

Overtime periods last five minutes and during the first one the Jaguars looked strong. They jumped out to a 90-82 lead with 1:26 remaining after Myers read a pass and picked up a steal, pushing the ball up the court for a layup. 

Despite being down eight, Lander wasn’t done fighting as Augusta native Berrien came alive again knocking down a three with 29 seconds left to cut AU’s lead to 91-90. Lucas-White was fouled and knocked down a free throw to put the Jaguars up 92-90 with 17 seconds in the period.

Berrien was still not done, having another late game heroic, making a layup to tie the game at 92 with seven seconds. Both teams couldn’t capitalize with the remaining time left, allowing the game to be sent into a second extra period. 

In the second overtime, both teams were scoreless for nearly the first three minutes. AU broke the silence after Myers drove baseline and slung a pass to Whitehead III in the corner, who knocked down what might’ve been the most important basket of the game. The Jags went up 95-92 after the crowd silencing three-pointer.

“We ran a play for John that we haven’t run, and he bagged a big shot in,” said Metress. 

Augusta went up 99-94 after two free throw makes from Myers. Sherfield hit a three for the Bearcats in the final seconds but time ran out as the Jags left Greenwood, S.C. with a 99-97 victory. 

In the loss Sherfield scored 28 points, knocking down seven threes, while Berrien finished with 25 points with five three-pointers.

Prior to the game, the Jaguars (5-6, 7-6) had lost three straight, giving the team even more fuel to push through as the season winds down. 

“We just wanted to come out and play hard no matter what,” said Myers. “We had a tough stretch, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy. It felt good to finally win again and to get Dip his 500th.”

Augusta will host Clayton State (0-8, 0-8) at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. The game will be livestreamed on pbcsportsnetwork.com.

Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carrodriguez@augusta.edu.

AU’s Lee Flenor gets off a jump shot from just inside the foul line. At the top, Jaguar Coach Dip Metress is congratulated by his players after he gained the 500th victory of his coaching career. (photos by Carlos Rodriguez and Priya Giddens)