No. 10 Jaguars Hit Last-Second Shot To Down Pirates, 74-72

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Ben Madgen's driving layup with 1.5 seconds left gave No. 10-ranked Augusta State a come-from-behind 74-72 victory over visiting Armstrong Atlantic State in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action on Saturday evening in Augusta.

The Jaguars (10-2, 4-1 PBC) outscored the Pirates (10-2, 3-2 PBC) 11-2 over the final 3:29 to end AASU's six-game win streak and move to the top of the PBC standings with USC Aiken.

Brian Moultrie and Dwight Tolbert led a quintet of AASU players in double figures on the night with 15 points each. Moultrie hit 7-of-8 shots from the floor, while Tolbert hit 4-of-5 shots, including 3-of-4 three-pointers on the night. Gabriel Robinson added 11 points and eight asssists, while Calvin Wilson and Keron McKenzie each collected 10 points.

Madgen's bucket capped a 23-point outburst for the Jaguars guard, while Fred Brathwaite added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Greg Hire also chipped in 13 points.

A Gabriel Robinson free throw gave AASU an early 15-14 lead with 10:05 left in the first half. Augusta State responded with a 7-0 run to take a 21-15 lead with 7:35 left, but Calvin Wilson and Keron McKenzie answered with back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 21-all with 6:43 left until halftime.

A 12-7 run - with two Keron McKenzie free throws after ASU head coach Dip Metress was whistled for a technical foul and capped by an athletic three-point play by reigning PBC Player of the Week Brian Moultrie after a missed basket - helped AASU enter intermission with a 41-36 lead.

Moultrie led all scorers in the first half with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor and one free throw. Ben Madgen led ASU with nine points in the first half.

Dwight Tolbert hit three three-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half as AASU increased its lead to 10, 58-48, with 14:35 left. But Augusta State came all the way back, getting a baseline layup by Fred Brathwaite with 1:45 left to tie the score at 70-all.

Two Gabriel Robinson free throws with 1:12 left put the Pirates back on top by two, 72-70, then Fred Braithwaite tied it back up with two free throws, 72-72, with 57.5 seconds left. A carry called on T.T. Hall with 29.2 seconds left gave the Jaguars the ball for the game-winning shot by Madgen.

The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, January 14, with a 7:30 p.m. Peach Belt Conference contest against GCSU at Alumni Arena.