No. 9 Augusta overcame a 16-point second half deficit to defeat Lander 81-78 in Peach Belt Conference action Wednesday at home. 7’1” senior center Tyshaun Crawford scored 26 points and fellow senior Miguel Arnold added 23 to lead the Jaguars. Augusta (14-1, 5-0) extended its current winning streak to 9 games, and the team has now won 27 consecutive games at home, a roll that dates back to February 17, 2021.
Augusta went on a 26-7 run that spanned 10 minutes during the second half and turned a 14-point deficit into a 5-point lead for the Jaguars with 3:54 remaining. The spurt caught some serious steam when Tyree Myers made a steal and scored a layup in transition with his left hand to cut the deficit to 65-57 with 9:17 remaining. Thirty-four seconds later the senior point guard nailed a three pointer that turned into a four point play after Myers was fouled and he converted the free throw to cut the deficit to 65-61 with 8:43 left in the game.
“I just wanted to bring some energy,” Myers said after the game about his steal and score that started the onslaught for Augusta. “We started getting stops and pushing it in transition. That’s when we started getting it going.”
After a stop by Augusta, Crawford tried to score on a sweeping hook and missed, but the conference’s leading scorer rebounded his own shot and was fouled. Crawford made both free throws to cut the lead to two, setting up back-to-back three pointers by Arnold. The first bomb by the Peach Belt Conference’s record holder for three pointers made in a career gave Augusta its first lead of the game at 66-65 with 7:23 remaining. The second put the Jaguars ahead 69-68 with 5:58 left in the game.
Arnold scored 18 of his 23 points during the second half. The conference’s third leading scorer was noticeably determined to find his offensive rhythm immediately after the team came out of the halftime break. For the game, Arnold made 7 of 12 field goals, including 4 of 7 from long distance to score more than 20 points for the third time in the last 4 games.
“My teammates, Tyree… they kept telling me to be aggressive,” Arnold explained in the post game interview. “In the first half I wasn’t as aggressive. It was hard for us to figure out how they were playing on defense. But we got it going. We were saying in the (halftime) locker room that we just gotta hoop.”
After Arnold gave the Jaguars their first lead, Crawford widened it by scoring two baskets in the paint that concluded Augusta’s run with the Jaguars leading 73-68 with 3:54 remaining. Crawford made 9 of 14 field goals and all eight of his free throw attempts.
“We did a great job of playing team basketball,” Crawford said after the game. “We were resilient. Coach Zach (Tinkham) told us in the huddle.. ‘it takes a team. This is what makes a great team. These types of moments.’ So I’m just glad to see us come out with a win.”
MORE: Arnold, Myers set individual records as No. 9 Augusta rides winning streak
Augusta committed 10 turnovers in the first half, compared to only 2 for Lander. The Jaguars failed to grab a single offensive rebound in the first 20 minutes as the Bearcats (10-4, 2-2) made 64% of their field goal attempts and built a 45-31 halftime lead. But Augusta forced 11 turnovers and grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in the second half as the Jaguars outscored Lander 50-33 in the final 20 minutes.
Augusta started to build momentum as soon as the second half began. Arnold nailed a three pointer on the first possession for the Jaguars, and Darren Lucas-White immediately followed with a steal and a score 30 seconds later to cut the deficit to 47-36 with 18:56 remaining. The one-two punch of Arnold and Lucas-White struck again two minutes later after Lander regained a 14-point lead. Again, Arnold made a three pointer in the right corner, and 28 seconds later Lucas-White scored in transition to cut the deficit to 52-43 with 16:42 left in the game.
Augusta will travel to Columbus State Saturday for the first of two road games before returning the following Saturday to take on Flagler at 3:30 P.M.
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