AUGUSTA, Ga. – Having fought back from multiple deficits to knot things up at 45 apiece with 12 minutes to play, the Georgia Regents University Jaguars offense staggered down the stretch, managing just one field goal from the floor in the final eight minutes as they fell 70-57 to the Armstrong Atlantic Pirates Thursday night in Christenberry Fieldhouse.

At the 13:55 mark in the second half, Tavia Sykes nailed a three from the left side to pull GRU within six, and a Marissa Mandeldove steal led to Sykes laying in the fast-break opportunity. Dericka Griffis hit home a six footer for GRU, and Lonna Turner snagged an offensive board and put in an unchallenged put-back to cap the 9-0 run and tie things up.

But in the battle for the top spot in the Peach Belt Conference's East division, the Pirates turned it on when it mattered, embarking on a 24-8 run over the next six minutes. Tyler Carlson's back-to-back threes quickly re-opened a margin, and Brigitta Barta found her rhythm in the paint as she continually found high-percentage looks and got to the free throw line to keep the Jaguars at bay.

The Jaguars (9-8 overall, 5-5 PBC) were outrebounded 45-to-22 and had issues moving the ball, managing just five assists to 12 turnovers while shooting 38.9 percent from the field as Armstrong continued to pack the paint. Brooke McCants led the way for the Jags with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting for a season high, while Sykes added 11 and Griffis tacked on eight.

Barta paced all scorers with a double-double to the tune of 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 13 rebounds, and Carlson added 17 on 6-of-7 shooting for the Pirates (12-6, 7-5). Armstrong hit on 46.2 percent of their attempts from the floor to overcome a 20-turnover performance.

The Jaguars are back in action Saturday, Feb. 1 as they head to USC Aiken to renew the area's favorite rivalry starting at 5:30 p.m.