AUGUSTA, Ga. -- In an incredibly offensive showdown, Augusta State lit up the scoreboard and held on for a 94-80 Homecoming victory over Francis Marion Saturday at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The win lifted ASU to 14-9 overall and 10-5 in the Peach Belt Conference; Francis Marion fell to 14-10 and 7-7 in the league.
The teams traded threes early as the lead swung back and forth, until D'Angelo Boyce found reigning PBC Player of the Week Devon Wright-Nelson on a full-court pass that Wright-Nelson emphatically slammed home to put ASU up eight with 11:12 in the first half.
The lead continued to grow, as a Devonte Thomas three extended the lead to a 42-21 margin before the Patriots began trimming the lead, pulling within nine on Darryn Frazier's four-point play with 2:08 on the clock.
But Travis Keels' buzzer-beater made it 55-40 as ASU ended the half on a 9-3 run.
The 55 points marked a season-high for the team in a half, as ASU drained 22-of-33 shots and 9-of-13 from deep, and took a 15-point lead into the lockers.
"We played through contact and it paid off tonight," head coach Dip Metress said.
The Patriots battled back, cutting the lead down to five with 11:17 to go on a jumper by Evrik Gary that capped an 11-0 run over four minutes for FMU.
But the Jaguars responded once again, embarking on an 11-3 run highlighted by Keels' three-point play off an ASU miss, and the lead held the rest of the way.
"They were hard to put away and kept making tough shots," Metress said.
ASU had five players in double figures, led by Tye Beal's season-high 21 points as the senior went 5-of-5 from behind the arc and 6-of-6 from the stripe. Harold Doby tallied (18 points, 7 rebounds), Thomas (17 points, 4-of-8 on 3-point attemptss), Keels (15 points, 7 rebounds), and Wright-Nelson (13 points on 6-of-10 shooting).
O'Neal Armstrong keyed the Jag attack with nine assists, adding eight points of his own.
Liki Turner notched a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Patriots, while Frazier added 24 points.
Augusta State shot a season-high 57.4 percent from the field overall, making 31-of-54 shots and 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) of threes. FMU made 24-of-60 (40 percent) and 12-of-30 (40 percent) from behind the arc.
ASU's 55 first-half points were the most points in a half for the Jags since booking 58 in the second half of a 97-67 victory over Flagler on Jan. 6, 2010 in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The Jags will welcome rival USC Aiken to Christenberry Fieldhouse for Senior Night on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
