No. 18 Augusta cruises past Lander to avenge earlier loss
By Carlos Rodriguez | Co-editor in chief
The Augusta University men’s basketball team made a statement after crushing Lander University on Wednesday night, winning 79-48 at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The No. 18 ranked Jaguars (10-3, 20-3) suffered a loss the last time the two teams met back on Jan. 12 in Greenwood, S.C., and knew this game would be vital to win to continue improving their position in the conference standings. They’re currently riding a six-game winning streak.
Tyshaun Crawford led the Jaguars with 23 points. Crawford’s size has been favoring him recently as he’s been able to fight inside and get sent to the line quite often. He shot 7 of 8 from the line and is currently ranked No. 10 in free-throw makes in the nation and No. 5 in free-throw attempts.
Troy Cracknell scored 19 points for AU, second place in the Peach Belt Conference, and knocked down four 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds. Tyree Myers had 12 points and six rebounds.
In the first half, Lander (4-9, 9-13) only gained the lead twice before AU took over and stayed ahead. After a 3-pointer by Cracknell gave the Jags a 15-12 lead with 12:59 left, they continued to add on to their lead.
Crawford gave Augusta a double-digit lead after fighting his way into the paint and converting an and-one shot to go up 25-14 with 6:51 remaining.
AU’s biggest lead of the half came after layup by Ja’Queze Kirby. That gave the Jaguars a 34-21 lead. Both teams scored before the half closed out as AU was up 36-24.
Cracknell started the second half with a 3-pointer, but the Bearcats responded with six straight points. Nigel Colvin brought them into single digits after knocking down a 3-pointer on a fastbreak to cut AU’s lead to 39-30 with 16:52 remaining.
Despite some early momentum by Lander, AU was just too strong and the Bearcats had no answer for their production. With 7:41 remaining, David Viti made a jumper from the wing to give the Jags a 20-point lead of 59-39.
Jack Johnson brought their lead margin into the 30s after backing down his defender and turning for a jump hook to give Augusta a 73-42 lead. Johnson also gave the Jags their biggest lead of the game of 33, with another jump hook as AU went up 77-44 with 1:21 left.
A pair of Lander baskets and a Cracknell layup wrapped the game up with the Jaguars closing the dominant win.
AU just flat out had the edge in many different categories. They were more aggressive, getting to the line frequently as they took 29 shots and made 21 of them. The Bearcats only made one free throw all game and took just four shots from the line.
“After giving up 12 points in the first five minutes, our defense was phenomenal,” said AU Coach Dip Metress. “We switched to a 2-3 zone and were able to keep our post players around the rim. Tyshaun was a huge presence for us on both ends of the floor. I am really proud of him at the foul line. He shoots them with confidence and he did a great job of hitting cutters when he was doubled.”
The Jags won the rebounding battle as well 36-27. They also capitalized on turnovers, scoring 19 points, and won the second chance battle with 17 points, compared to Lander’s four points.
Coming into the game, the Jags had finished a three-game road trip. It looks like the team has started to figure things out on the road. After losing their first three conference road games they switched gears and swept their recent road trip in which they defeated the likes of North Georgia, Georgia College and Georgia Southwestern.
AU will have two straight road games starting off at Young Harris on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 3:30 p.m. and then USC Aiken on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Feb. 18, first-place Flagler (12-1, 19-3) comes to town for Homecoming.
Metress now has 13 20-win seasons in his coaching career, which has included stops at Belmont Abbey and Augusta.
Note: At the top of the page, AU’s Tyshaun Crawford (0) shows his patented half hook. (photo by AU Athletics)
Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carrodriguez@augusta.edu.
