Augusta topped Columbus State 83-65 Monday to improve to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in Peach Belt Conference play. For the second time in three days, the No. 13 ranked Jaguars were led by 7’1” senior center Tyshaun Crawford, who scored 27 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the victory after posting 29 and 9 in Saturday’s 74-65 win over Georgia Southwestern in Augusta’s conference opener.
Crawford had plenty of support Monday as fellow seniors Darren Lucas-White (16 points and 12 rebounds), Miguel Arnold (16 points and 6 rebounds) and Tyree Myers (10 points) all scored in double figures.
Also, star sophomore Ja’Queze Kirby, who is still recovering from an ankle injury, posted 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in his third game back after he was forced to miss four games.
Augusta ran away from Columbus State during the second half, expanding a two-point halftime lead into a 25-point advantage by the under-four-minute timeout behind 59% field goal shooting for the half for the Jaguars. Miguel Arnold, who scored two points and missed both of his field goals during the first half, came out smoking hot after halftime, scoring 14 points in the first 8 minutes of action.
After Augusta heated up on the perimeter, Columbus State was forced to guard Crawford with one defender, and the player-of-the-year candidate’s eyes got big. The 7’1” star who led the Jaguars all the way to the national championship game last season scored 17 points during the second half for the second straight game.
Augusta’s two conference wins have come in different ways. The Jaguars blew open Monday’s game by out scoring Columbus State 45-27 in the second half. During Saturday’s win, Augusta actually gave up a 15-point halftime lead and had to make a 9-0 run in the final 4 minutes to seal that victory. But the dominance of Crawford was consistent throughout the two games. Crawford’s career high 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in Saturday’s game extended into Monday’s standout performance.
Augusta will be off until Saturday (3:00 P.M. tip-off) when the Jaguars will take on non-conference foe Reinhardt in the final game of a four-game homestand.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports
