EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The road game was no struggle for Augusta’s Miguel Arnold as he dropped 33 points in the 81-69 overtime win over Chico State on Tuesday, March 22.
This was the Jaguars’ first time on the road in the NCAA Division II Tournament as they recently won the Region Championship on their home floor with a game winner by Arnold.
“It’s not different at all; my family is watching from home, so I know I have to do my best,” said Arnold. “Me knowing that my family is watching and some friends of mine; that’s enough for me to keep the fire going.”
Despite Chico State being the No. 2 ranked team against the 3-pointer, Miguel Arnold shot 7-for-10 from the three-point line and 13-17 overall.
However, it was not an easy win for the Jaguars as there would be six lead changes in the game, along with Chico State winning 56-50 with 8:19 remaining in the game.
The Jaguars went on a key 8-0 run with a three by Arnold and Tyree Myers, as well as a dunk by Tyshaun Crawford to tie the game 56-56.
Crawford would also make the game tying dunk with 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the Jaguars to overtime. He finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
“I go into the game with a MVP mindset to try affect the game in different ways, sometimes it might be scoring, sometimes it might be rebounding,” said Crawford. “They came, they double teamed, I just made sure I made the right plays. I am not going to make the right play all the time, but as long as I stay poised and do the best time I can every time, it always works out.”
Augusta outscored Chico State 15-3 in overtime to advance the Jaguars to the Final Four for the first time since 2008.
The Jaguars will play the Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, in Evansville, Ind. The winner will advance to the Championship game on Saturday, March 26.
“It’s going to be hand to hand combat and were okay with that,” said Augusta University Head Coach Dip Metress. “It’s not going to be pretty I can tell you that because both teams are going to be very physical, and they’re very good defensively.”
