AUGUSTA, Ga. -- On a night when diehard fan Matt Miklas' life was celebrated and leading scorer Harold Doby was unable to play, senior guard O'Neal Armstrong's five 3-point buckets and career-high 23 points paced Augusta State to a 72-64 victory over Lander in Peach Belt Conference action at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The win marked the 10th straight for the Jags (7-6 overall, 3-2 PBC) over Lander (9-3, 3-2), who had a six-game winning streak snapped.
"O'Neal really embraced the leadership role tonight," ASU head coach Dip Metress said. "We're still trying to find ourselves as a team, but we're a growth in progress."
Metress pledged $24 to the Matt Miklas Scholarship Fund for every 3-pointer the Jags connected on, which amounted to $216 after ASU canned nine of them. A ceremony was held before the men's game to honor Miklas, who passed away in November and was highly-regarded in the community and throughout the university as one of ASU's most passionate and loyal fans.
The teams traded baskets early on, but the Jags grabbed an early 8-3 lead when freshman guard Devonte Thomas hit ASU's first 3-point bucket of the game at the 16:35 mark. But Lander fought back, and the lead changed hands multiple times in a three-minute stretch before Armstrong nailed back-to-back deep shots to build a six-point margin that grew to 12 with six minutes left when senior guard Tye Beal hit yet another 3-point shot.
A 9-0 run by Lander reduced the advantage to five midway through the second half as ASU went 5:40 without a bucket, but a 9-0 run to answer by the Jaguars restored a comfortable lead. ASU was 9-10 from the charity stripe in the waning minutes to secure the win.
Armstrong was 8-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc to lead all scorers with 23 points and six assists. Three other Jaguars scored in double figures, as Devon Wright-Nelson (13 points, 7-of-7 from the line, 9 rebounds), Travis Keels (11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Thomas (12 points) all had notable performances.
The Bearcats were led by guard Corey Wright's game-high 24 points, along with eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Jags will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they travel to Morrow, Ga., to take on Clayton State for the first leg of a three-game road trip.
