MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. -- Augusta State outscored Mount Olive 22-14 in overtime Thursday night and escaped Kornegay Arena with an 86-78 non-conference victory over the Trojans.
With the victory, the fifth-ranked Jaguars improved to 10-0 on the season for the second straight year and claimed their sixth straight win in overtime. The Jags also improved to 7-0 this season away from Christenberry Fieldhouse.
ASU's O'Neal Armstrong, a junior guard from Columbia, Tenn., scored on a layup out of an ASU timeout with 21 seconds left in regulation to knot the game at 64-all. Mount Olive's game-winning attempt just before the buzzer was off the mark, sending the contest to overtime.
The Jags then scored the first seven points of the extra frame -- four from sophomore forward Travis Keels -- and used an 11-3 run in the first 3:01 for a 75-67 lead. George Johnson connected on a 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining for a 78-69 lead and Tye Beal, Johnson and Armstrong each canned a pair of free throws in the final 38 seconds for the final margin.
A senior guard from Arlington, Va., Johnson poured in a career-high 31 points, including 11 in overtime. His previous career high of 23 came at Armstrong Atlantic State on Dec. 4, 2010. Johnson's effort marked the most points scored by a Jaguar since Ben Madgen netted 34 vs. Montevallo in the semifinals of the 2010 Peach Belt Conference Tournament on March 6 in Aiken, S.C.
Franck Ndongo posted his fourth straight double-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Armstrong registered nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Keels tallied nine points and four blocks and senior forward Howard Brown added nine points off the bench.
Mahamed Ibrahim paced the Trojans (6-4) with 21 points and Ewon Wright turned in 20. Brandon Allen and Derek Staton each chipped in 14 off the bench.
Staton hit a jumper with 4:48 left in the second half to give the Trojans a 56-55 lead, their first since 2-0 at the 18:59 mark of the first half. After Keels hit one of two free throws to pull the Jags within 61-60 with 1:38 remaining, Wright nailed a 3-pointer with 1:11 to play for a 64-60 MOC lead.
Johnson's layup with 52 seconds left cut ASU's deficit in half and Staton missed on a jumper with 36 ticks remaining to give the ball back to the Jags. Armstrong's layup with 21 seconds to go knotted the game at 64-all. After a Trojan timeout, Allen's game-winning, 3-point attempt with :03 left was off the mark.
The Jags led by as many as 13 in the first half following a jumper from Johnson at the 7:52 mark that gave them a 22-9 advantage. Johnson connected on 5-of-7 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-4 3-pointers, and had 14 of his points in the first half along with six rebounds.
The Trojans chipped away at their deficit, pulling within 31-28 on a Staton jumper with 1:15 left before Johnson canned a free throw and a trey in the final 30 seconds to stake the Jags to a 35-28 halftime lead.
ASU hosts North Georgia in a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader on Monday, Jan. 3 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively, in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
