Augusta Wins Third Straight With 80-70 Victory Over Clayton State
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta Jaguars (12-7, 8-4 PBC) defeated the Clayton State Lakers (12-7, 7-5 PBC) on Saturday afternoon 80-70 in a Peach Belt Conference contest, as the Jaguars honored our local service men and women today with their Military Appreciation Day. Christenberry Fieldhouse was a packed house, with a solid number of patrons and nearly 500 soldiers from Fort Gordon showing up to support the Jaguars. The soldiers performed the Soldier's Creed at halftime and inducted several new members into the Army.
Augusta shot 49 percent from the floor and an impressive 64.3 percent from three-point range against 36.8 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from three-point range for the Lakers. Junior Keshun Sherrill led the way in scoring for the Jaguars with 24 followed by freshman Tyvez Monroe with 18 points.
Sherrill was 10-for-12 at the free-throw line and sophomore Tamyrik Fields scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists.
The Lakers jumped out on top early, opening the game with a 14-2 run and capitalizing on the Jaguars' three turnovers in the first five minutes. The run was eventually snapped with a long jumper from Sherrill nearly seven minutes into the first half. Augusta struggled to find a rhythm shooting just 16.7 percent in the first ten minutes of the half.
Almost exactly at the ten-minute mark, the Jaguars found a spark, burying four three-pointers and multiple free throws to tie the game and get themselves back in the contest. Three-pointers by freshmen Tyvez Monroe and Aaron Byrd under three minutes left in the first half gave the Jaguars the lead back and electrified the crowd. The Jaguars built off that energy and with another momentum-shifting three-pointer by freshman Ja'Shawn Brooks, Augusta took a 38-34 lead into the halk.
The Jags used a 6-1 run to quickly jump out to a nine-point lead before the Lakers got back on track. Long-range shooting from all over the court by Sherrill kept Clayton State at bay for the first several minutes of the second half, with the Jaguars managing their lead until the 8:00 media timeout. Following this timeout, the Lakers cut lead to two. That was as close as Clayton State would come to reclaiming the lead, however, as Augusta closed the game on an 8-0 run to win 80-70.
The Jags host Georgia College on Wednesday, Feb. 3 for a 5:30 p.m. Peach Belt Conference matchup in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.jaguarsroar.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags
-- 30 --
