FAIRFIELD, Ala. – The Augusta University men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with a 71-64 road victory over Miles College on Monday evening at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. The Jaguars used a strong start to the second half to take control and held off a late Miles rally to secure their first win of the season.
Charlie McBeath led Augusta with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Carlton Young added 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Daniel Daramola finished with 16 points and five rebounds, shooting 7-of-8 from the field. Rodney Scott contributed seven points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Augusta got off to a quick start, opening the game with a 6-2 advantage behind baskets from Young, Daramola and McBeath. Miles responded and briefly took the lead midway through the half, but Daramola scored on consecutive possessions to put the Jaguars back in front.
The Golden Bears tied the game at 25-25 with under three minutes remaining before McBeath connected on a three-pointer to regain the lead. McBeath, who scored 15 first-half points, added a jumper at the buzzer to send Augusta into halftime ahead 30-27.
The Jaguars opened the second half with an 11-2 run, highlighted by four points from Young and a layup from Scott. Young followed with a three-pointer at the 15:24 mark to extend Augusta's lead to 43-29.
Miles trimmed the deficit to 10 midway through the period, but Augusta continued to answer. A three-pointer from Matias Zanotto and a subsequent layup pushed the Jaguars ahead 64-48 with 4:43 remaining. Scott then connected with Daramola for an alley-oop to give Augusta its largest lead of the game at 66-49.
The Golden Bears mounted a late comeback, using a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to seven with 1:18 remaining. Young responded with a fast-break dunk and added another layup in the final minute to help secure the victory.
Augusta shot 46.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range while outscoring Miles 44-30 in the paint. The Jaguars also forced 17 turnovers and recorded nine steals.
Julien Barnett led Miles with 12 points, while Laithen Mitchell added 10. The Golden Bears fell to 0-1 with the loss.
Next Up: Augusta returns to action Friday, Nov. 13, against Mount Olive in Wilson, North Carolina, before facing host Barton College on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. The Jaguars will make their home debut Saturday, Nov. 21, against Newberry at noon inside Christenberry Fieldhouse.
