No. 15 Augusta will host arch rival USC Aiken tonight at 7:30 p.m. in a pivotal game in the race for a regular season Peach Belt Conference championship. The Jaguars (20-4, 11-3) are tied with No. 23 North Georgia at the top of the standings, one game in front of USC Aiken (17-7, 10-4) with four games remaining.
The Pacers topped Augusta 81-76 three weeks ago at the USC Aiken Convocation Center. Tehree Horn (16 points) and Jameel Rideout (13) led the way for the Pacers. Augusta was led by Tyshaun Crawford (22 points) and Miguel Arnold (21).
That result threw the PBC race into chaos as five teams have hovered within two games of the top spot ever since. The regular season champion will earn the privilege of hosting the Peach Belt Conference Tournament March 2-5.
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Players of the Week
Tonight’s game will feature the two most recent PBC Player of the Week winners. Tehree Horn won the honor Tuesday after scoring a combined 52 points in a pair of road wins for USC Aiken last week over Georgia College and Flagler. Horn, a 6’3” junior, scored a career high 32 points against Flagler. He is the conference’s fifth leading scorer (15.8 ppg) and its sixth best rebounder (6.6 rpg).
Augusta’s Tyshaun Crawford won the award two weeks ago after he scored a combined 58 points in two wins at home against North Georgia and Georgia College. Crawford scored career high 35 points in the victory over Georgia College, and he followed his award winning week with two more strong showings last week. The returning PBC Co-Player of the Year recorded 22 points and 9 rebounds in a loss against Lander last Wednesday, and 31 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Young Harris.
Crawford, a 7’1” senior center, leads the conference in scoring (22.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (68.8%). And he is second in rebounding (8.7 rpg). Teammate Miguel Arnold, who scored 23 points Saturday against Young Harris, is the conference’s third leading scorer at 17.0 ppg.
The women’s game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. USC Aiken (15-9, 9-5) currently stands alone in second place, and Augusta (15-9, 8-6) is one of four teams that trail the Lady Pacers by only one game.
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“Stuff the Stadium – Teddy Bear Toss” theme
Tonight’s rivalry game will have a special theme, as described by the Augusta University Athletic Department:
Fans are encouraged to bring a new teddy bear or other new stuffed animal to the game on Feb 15 and throw it onto the court when the Augusta men’s basketball team scores their first points. All stuffed animals collected at the Stuff the Stadium event will be donated to local charities including:
SafeHomes
Ronald McDonald House
Copeland Elementary School
Boys and Girls Club
McBean Elementary School
Garden City Rescue Mission
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
