AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State withstood a Georgia Southwestern comeback Saturday night and made clutch shots down the stretch to overtake the Hurricanes and register a 57-52 Peach Belt Conference victory in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Jaguars improved to 10-7 overall and 6-3 in the PBC. Georgia Southwestern, the preseason pick to win the conference title, fell to 11-4 on the season and 2-4 in the league.
With 3:34 left, ASU sophomore forward Harold Doby threw down a monstrous dunk off a feed from senior point guard O'Neal Armstrong to knot things up at 52-all. The Jags' defense forced an off-balance 3-point attempt by the Hurricanes that clanged off the rim before Devon Wright-Nelson's layup in traffic put ASU up 54-52 with 2:18 to go.
"I'm proud of our guys tonight," head coach Dip Metress said. "We put the ball in the hands of a freshman, and he delivered for us down the stretch."
The Jags whiffed on two 1-and-1 opportunities to pull away as the clock wound down, giving GSW a chance to take the lead, but two 3-pointers missed the mark, and freshman guard/forward Devonte Thomas knocked down two free throws with 12.2 seconds remaining to seal the win.
ASU started hot, opening the game on a 24-8 run while shooting over 60 percent in the first 11 minutes of the game. But the Hurricanes chipped away and entered the half down just 31-23. GSW started the second half with the ball and continued to creep closer until Evan Mobley's sixth trey of the night put the 'Canes up by one with 8:22 remaining.
The Jags then went cold, failing to score for three minutes, but the defense held on long enough to allow Doby a chance to take over.
Doby tied a career-high with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, making 8-of-14 from the charity stripe to go with eight rebounds and three assists. Travis Keels added 10 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks as ASU racked up eight blocks on the night – two on the same play by junior forward Kelth Cameron midway through the second half.
GSW's Mobley led all scorers as he put up 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 6-of-10 from behind the arc to carry the 'Canes, who lost reigning Peach Belt Player of the Year Phillip Brown early in the first half to a knee injury. Marlon Rivera paced them with 11 rebounds.
ASU shot 44.4 percent on the night (20-of-45) and 3-of-9 from behind the arc. GSW shot 35.4 percent (17-of-48) and 6-of-19 from long range.
The Jags continue their three-game homestand on Monday, January 23 against Columbus State. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
