Ninth-ranked Jaguars down Columbus State behind Arnold
Staff report
Miguel Arnold scored 21 points to lead No. 9 Augusta University past Columbus State 76-66 on Saturday, Jan. 14, at CSU’s Lumpkin Center in a Peach Belt Conference contest.
The Jaguars, who trailed 36-35 at the half, outscored the Cougars 41-30 in the second half to remain unbeaten in conference play. AU (6-0, 15-1) got 15 points and six assists (with no turnovers) from point guard Tyree Myers. Tyshaun Crawford added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Two more Jaguars were in double figures with Darren Lucas-White contributing 12 points and Ja’Queze Kirby 11.
“Tyree closed the first half and second half in an elite way,” said AU Coach Dip Metress, whose team won its 10th straight.
Crawford, the 7-foot-1 center, only played 27 minutes to foul trouble.
“It was nice to be able to win without Tyshaun playing extended minutes,” Metress said. “We went small with Kirby and Viti playing inside to pick up our ball pressure defensively and it made a huge difference.”
Columbus State (2-4, 9-7) was led by Nelson Haskin with 20 points.
The game was tied at 58 with five minutes to play before Arnold, the senior from San Juan, Puerto Rico, put the Jaguars ahead for good with a 3-pointer. After Demierre Black scored in the paint for CSU, Myers, the Baltimore, Md., product, nailed a trey and then hit a two-pointer for a 66-60 AU lead. Kirby stretched the lead to eight with two free throws, and the visiting Jaguars never looked back.
Augusta shot 44 percent from the field and made 20 of 24 from the line. Myers, Kirby and Lucas-White were all 4 of 4 on their free throws. The Jags committed just seven turnovers, compared to 13 by the Lions.
The Jaguars have won 34 of their last 36 games dating back to last season. They remain one game up on second-place Young Harris in the PBC standings.
“Winning is not easy especially on the road in any conference you play in, but our four seniors are really locked in mentally right now,” Metress said.
In the women’s game, the Cougars got 19 points each from Olonna Rawls and Emilia Tenbrock en route to a 74-66 win over Augusta. Olivia West chipped in 14 for the Cougars (3-3, 9-5).
Kennedi Manning led the Jaguars (4-2, 11-5) with 212 points. Tomiyah Alford added 14 and Autumn Phillips 11.
Both AU teams will play at Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men at 7:30.
Tomiyah Alford (12) had 14 points, but the AU women came up short on the road at Columbus State. At the top of the page, Darren Lucas-White (with ball) had 12 points to help Augusta gain a 76-66 win over the Lions. (photos by Madison Keel)
