AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Fourth-ranked Augusta State
rebounded Wednesday night with a 75-54 Peach Belt Conference
victory over Francis Marion in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The win was the 10th straight PBC home win for the Jaguars, who
improved to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the PBC. The loss dropped the
Patriots, who began the season 10-0, to 10-4 and 3-4 in league
play. ASU extended its winning streak in the series with FMU to
eight straight.
Junior guard Ben Madgen tallied a game-high 20 points and grabbed
seven rounds. Senior center Garret Siler posted 17 points, six
boards and three blocks. Junior forward Fred Brathwaite had 11
points, seven boards and a pair of steals.
Junior guard Anthony Wallen was the only Patriot to reach double
figures, finishing with 11 points.
The Jags, who never trailed, shot a season-high 75 percent and set
a season-high for first-half points, outscoring Francis Marion
49-23. ASU jumped ahead 7-0 and led by 13 with 9:26 left in the
half. The Jags then closed the half on a 22-9 run.
ASU led by as much as 32 after a Madgen 3-pointer just 1:04 into
the second half. The Patriots battled back with a 22-2 run to cut
their deficit to 57-45 at the 8:36 mark.
The Jags then put together a 13-0 run, pushing the lead back to
70-45 with 5:18 left. A Tye Beal layup gave ASU a 26-point cushion
with 2:42 remaining.
ASU, ranked 19th in the nation in field goal percentage, shot 54.9
percent for the game and outrebounded the Patriots 42-29.
The Jags welcome Georgia Southwestern to Christenberry Fieldhouse
for a PBC matchup on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.