Jaguars a win away from Elite Eight

The Augusta University men’s basketball team will face Queens (Charlotte) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Christenberry Fieldhouse with a spot in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament on the line.

The Jaguars (30-3) beat Belmont Abbey 106-77 on Saturday night in the first round of the Southeast Regional, then rallied to defeat UNC Pembroke 82-76 on Sunday night. Queens defeated Columbus State (86-84) and Lincoln Memorial (81-76) to reach the regional final.

Tyshaun Crawford, the Peach Belt Conference co-Player of the Year, had a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds and made all seven of his free-throw attempts for the Jaguars on Sunday against the Braves. Miguel Arnold had 16, including four 3-pointers, while Troy Cracknell and Tyree Myers scored 15 each.

UNC Pembroke led AU by six at the half but a quick 9-0 run to start the second half pushed the Jaguars ahead. In a game that featured seven lead changes and 11 ties, AU outscored its opponent by 12 in the second half by shooting 52% from the field, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range, and making 18 of 24 free throws.

“Really hard-fought game,” said Jaguars head coach Dip Metress in his postgame interview. “UNC Pembroke is a really good team and we know that, but our guys were good down the stretch. We knew it was going to be a physical game and we told our guys when you go down low don’t look for the calls, but I’m proud of them.”

AU is playing host to the Southeast Regional for the sixth time since 2007. Tuesday marks the fourth time overall AU and Queens will square off in the NCAA Tournament. The Jaguars won in 2011 while the Royals won the 2017 and 2019 matchups.

The winner of Tuesday’s championship game advances to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana. Tickets are available online or at the box office. To watch Tuesday’s game online, visit the regional page.

There will be 200 tickets available for students on a first come, first served basis for the championship game. Students will need to show their ID at the gate in order to get a ticket.