AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State survived a furious comeback from USC Aiken Monday night and registered a 57-53 overtime victory over the Pacers in Christenberry Fieldhouse in front of the fourth-largest crowd in CFH history.
With the win, the third-ranked Jaguars extended their home winning streak to 39 games and their Peach Belt Conference home winning streak to 27 in a row.
The victory -- ASU's ninth straight over the Pacers in Christenberry Fieldhouse -- lifted the Jags to 17-1 on the season and 7-1 in the league. The Pacers slipped to 11-7 and 5-6 in the conference. ASU matched the best start in school history through 18 games, originally set during the 1969-70 season.
Senior forward Franck Ndongo booked a game-high 16 points for the Jaguars, while senior guard George Johnson drilled four 3-pointers en route to 13 points. Sophomore forward Travis Keels snagged a team-best eight rebounds.
Sterling Council was on the only Pacer to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points off the bench. Kevin Willis posted a game-high 12 rebounds and Alvin Brown notched 11.
Both squads struggled offensively in the first half and were tied 15-all at the break. ASU shot 53 percent in the second half and built a 10-point lead on three occasions, the last with 2:33 remaining in regulation following a Keels' layup.
Brown's two free throws with 1:16 left started a 12-2 Pacer run as the Jags missed three shots and committed three turnovers down the stretch. Council's free throws tied the game at 47-all with 17 seconds left, and after a timeout, Ndongo's potential game-winner with a second remaining rolled off the rim to setup overtime.
The Jags jumped ahead in overtime on Ndongo's 3-point play 53 seconds into the extra frame. Senior guard Caleb Brown's pair of free throws with 2:32 left put the Jags up 53-48.
The Pacers cut their deficit to 53-51 on Re'mon Nelson's jumper before ASU point guard O'Neal Armstrong swished a floater with 20 seconds to go. Armstrong canned a pair of free throws with nine seconds left for the final margin.
The Jags shot 37.2 percent for the game, compared to 32.8 percent from USCA. The Pacers outrebounded ASU 46-34 but connected on just 1-of-22 3-point attempts (4.5 percent) and went just 10-of-19 at the charity stripe.
The Jags, who entered the game ranked second in the nation in free-throw percentage at .806, went 20-of-30 at the foul line (66.7 percent), but made 6-of-7 in overtime.
ASU continues its three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 27 vs. No. 21 Georgia Southwestern at 7:30 p.m., in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
