Augusta, Ga. – The Augusta University Men's basketball team defeated Barton 86-72 in a non-conference contest. The Jags are now 4-2 on the year while the Bulldogs move to 3-5.
The Jags opened things up with an early lead as Troy Cracknell dropped in a three-pointer 32 seconds into the contest. Rafael Monteiro followed it up with a quick jumper to make it 5-0 Jags.
The Bulldogs took advantage of Augusta turnovers as the half progressed tying things up a 16 with 12:50 to go. Less than two minutes later, it was Barton that had a five point advantage, up 28-18 thanks to suffocating defensive play.
Monteiro put in a long three to stem the flow and, after Cracknell made a jumper to pull within one, dropped in another basket to give the Jags a one point lead.
The Jaguars locked down the ball near the end of the half, making no mistakes and holding a 34-30 lead as they went into the break.
With the start of the second half, opened things up with a 10-0 run with the first two-and-a-half minutes. Augusta wouldn't trail for long however, as Miguel Arnold slipped past the defense with a layup to bring the score back to within two. Moments later, Cracknell would make a pair of free-throws to tie it up at the 14 minute mark.
At 12:57, Arnold gave the Jags back the lead for the first time since the start of the half, making both of his free-throws to bring the score to 49-47. The Jags briefly surrendered the lead again, but Tyree Myers put down a three-point basket to take it back, this time for good.
The Bulldogs kept things close moving forward, until Arnold all but ended Barton's chance at a comeback, launching a three point field goal several feet beyond the arch to give Augusta a 10 point lead. The visitors couldn't recover from the blow, as Augusta continued to play clean ball and close the contest out with an 86-72 win.
Monteiro was the top scorer for Augusta, going 11-for-16 from the field and racking up 22 points in the game. Monteiro also led the Jags in rebounds, narrowly missing out on a double-double with nine.
Darren Lucas-White notched 17 points on the day, going five-of-seven from the field and knocking in seven-of-eight free throws, a team high.
Tyshaun Crawford was a defensive juggernaut on the court, blocking six shots and snagging eight rebounds in the match-up, while Lucas-White nabbed six steals.
As a Team, Augusta shot 53.6% (30-of-56) from the field, including going five-for-17 from downtown. The Jags picked up 40 rebounds in the game and totaled eight steals and seven blocks.
The Jags return to action when they host the Emmanuel Lions on Thursday, December 5th at 11:00 a.m.