Columbus, Ga. – The Augusta University Men's Basketball lost a heartbreaker today against the Columbus State Cougars 61-60. The Jags fall to 10-6 on the year and are now 5-3 in conference play. The Cougars improve 10-6 on the season and are now 5-3 in Peach Belt games.
The first half saw Augusta trailing 19-10 by the halfway mark of the period. As the period continued, the Jags' fortune didn't improve. The squad found themselves down 37-25 at halftime.
Augusta opened the scoring in the second half as Troy Cracknell put in a jumper 16 seconds in. With the Jaguars still down by 13, Tyshaun Crawford slammed down a dunk and drew a foul for the three point play.
Crawford's dunk was followed by an 8-0 run by the Jag offense to bring them right back into the game.
With 9:44 remaining in regulation, Crawford again came up with a big dunk to tie the game at 49-49. It was a back and forth affair with neither team gaining more than a two point advantage.
Troy Cracknell landed a long three with 1:27 remaining in the game to give the Jags a 58-55 lead. It looked as though the Jaguars had the game in hand, as Myers drew a foul with a dozen seconds left and made the ensuing free throws to give Augusta a five point edge.
But Columbus State dug deep and found a way to win, putting down back-to-back threes within seven seconds, and snatching victory away from the Jaguars.
As a team, Augusta shot 22-of-55 (40.0%) from the field, with four coming from downtown, and were 12-of-19 from the free throw line.
Crawford led the Jags offense, picking up a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Rafael Monteiro also notched a double-double on the afternoon, snagging a team high 13 rebounds and scoring 12 points.
On defense, Crawford led the squad with six blocks, while Tyree Myers and Darren Lucas-White each picked up a pair of steals.
The Jaguars return home to the Christenberry Fieldhouse for their next game when they take on North Georgia on Wednesday, January 22, at 7:30 p.m.