No. 18 Jaguars Blister Pirates In 75-57 Victory On Saturday

SAVANNAH, Ga. - No. 18-ranked Augusta State University hit 15-of-22 shots from the floor in the first half to open up a 17-point halftime lead and cruise to a 75-57 Peach Belt Conference victory over host Armstrong Atlantic State University on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena.

With the win, the Jaguars (6-0, 1-0 PBC) remained unbeaten on the season and extended its current win streak over the Pirates (3-2, 0-1 PBC) to 10, dating back to the 2006 Peach Belt Conference tournament.

Both teams shot well from the floor in the first five minutes of the game as the score was 11-all at the 15:09 mark, but Augusta State outscored the Pirates, 26-9, the rest of the way to take a 37-20 lead into intermission. George Johnson hit 7-of-10 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 threes, en route to a 19-point first half for the Jaguars.

The Jaguars stretched the second-half lead out to 25, 63-36, with 9:33 left when Armstrong made a 13-2 run to close to within 14, 65-51, on a jumper by junior Grant Domsic with 5:33 left. Augusta State's Ty Beal canned an open three on the next possession to stretch the lead back out to 17 and stave off the comeback attempt.

"They [Augusta State] started choking us out in the post, putting pressure on our players inside," Armstrong head coach Jeremy Luther said. "Our big men weren't able to respond well. They completely took us out of our inside game."

Johnson finished the evening with a game-high 23 points for the Jaguars, while Frank Ndongo added 14 points. Augusta State finished the game hitting 55.3 percent from the floor, making 26-of-47 shots, and also missed just one free throw, hitting 17-of-18 shots from the stripe for 94.4 percent.

Armstrong placed three players in double figures, led by Domsic's 12 points. Junior Chris Edwards added 11 points and senior Jesse Wheeler chipped in 10. The Pirates shot 40.4 percent from the floor - 23-of-57 - but made just 5-of-24 shots from beyond the arc for 20.8 percent.

"We have got to learn and rebound from this game," Luther said. "There's a lot of basketball left. Our guys have to understand that the level of play in this conference is higher, we need to learn that and come back from this."

The Pirates break for final exams but return to action on Saturday, December 17, hosting Hiwassee in the 2010 Hampton Inn & Suites Fall Finals Classic at 8:00 p.m. at Alumni Arena.