By Chris Gay
Staff Writer
A first half to remember kept Augusta State at the top of the Peach
Belt Conference.
Gary Boodnikoff made five consecutive 3-pointers during a 27-1
Jaguar first-half run as Augusta State routed Lander 80-53 at the
ASU athletic complex Saturday night.
``We just played loose and relaxed,'' Augusta State acting head
coach Buck Harris said. ``Boodnikoff told me before the game that
he felt hot.''
In the women's game, Donna Hanson tied the school record with six
3-pointers as the Lady Jaguars knocked off the Lady Senators
73-59.
Boodnikoff was 9-of-11 from the field, including 6-of-7 from
3-point range, and scored a season-high 26 points. Festus Hawkins
added 17 points, while T.J. Ott chipped in 12.
``I told Buck before the game that I was going to shoot the ball
well,'' Boodnikoff said. ``That run, I just looked up and saw that
we were up 25-4.''
Augusta State (10-3, 5-0) shot 51 percent from the field and went
9-of-16 behind the arc. The Jaguar defense made a season-high 10
blocks and held the Senators (6-6, 1-3) to 31 percent shooting.
This is Augusta State's sixth straight win over Lander (6-6, 1-3)
and its biggest margin of victory this season (27).
With the score knotted at 5, Boodnikoff's hot hand got the Jaguars
smoking. The Australian guard drained two 3-pointers from the top
of the key, and Marcus Gradney followed with a rare four-point play
as Augusta jumped out front 19-5.
Two minutes later, Boodnikoff ran down a loose ball and pulled up
for a 3-pointer from the left wing as the Jaguars took a 24-point
lead with 9:38 left before halftime. Augusta State extended the
lead to 48-19 at the break.
For the first time in a week, coach Gary Tuell returned to the
bench as an assistant coach to Harris. Tuell missed the previous
three games recovering from an appendectomy.
``Gary was very helpful tonight,'' Harris said. ``He pointed out
things to me that he thought we should do defensively. He broke
down the film, and we had a very detailed walk-through today.''
In the women's game, Hanson opened the game with three straight
3-pointers as the Lady Jaguars began the game on a 13-2 run.
Augusta State extended the lead to 43-28 at the half.
Hanson ended the game with a season-high 24 points to lead the Lady
Jaguars, while Faith Nixon added 17.
``I know I haven't been playing up to my potential,'' Hanson said.
``I've been playing against myself.''
Augusta State (9-5, 3-2) held Lander 22-of-63 shooting, including a
1-of-15 performance from three-point range.
``It helped that we had somebody on fire right at the beginning,''
Lady Jaguar coach Greg Wilson said. ``I was pleased with our
defensive intensity. That's the most intensity we've shown since
the Clayton State game.''