HARROGATE, TN. – The Augusta University women's basketball team saw its season come to an end Friday evening as the Jaguars fell to No. 2 seed Lenoir-Rhyne in the opening round of the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Augusta, the No. 7 seed in the regional and the Peach Belt Conference Tournament champion, finished the season with a 21-10 record. Lenoir-Rhyne advances to the regional semifinals.
The appearance marked the second NCAA Tournament berth during the tenure of head coach Celeste Stewart.
Quinasia Abercrombie led the Jaguars with a new career high in scoring, finishing with 16 points in the first half and continuing to carry the offensive load throughout the night. Abercrombie closes the season as a First Team All–Peach Belt Conference selection and a Second Team All-Region honoree.
Amari Jackson, who earned Second Team All–Peach Belt Conference honors this season, added four points in the opening half and helped anchor Augusta defensively.
Augusta opened the game with strong energy on both ends of the floor and controlled the first quarter. Quinasia Abercrombie got the Jaguars started offensively and Amari Jackson added an early basket in the paint as Augusta built momentum.
A three-pointer from Sa'Niah Dorsey and another score from Abercrombie helped push the Jaguars in front late in the quarter. Augusta closed the period on a strong note and carried a 15-10 lead into the second.
Abercrombie continued her hot start early in the second quarter, knocking down a three-pointer that extended the Augusta advantage to 15-8 before Lenoir-Rhyne began to respond.
The Bears quickly found their rhythm offensively, connecting from beyond the arc and putting together a major scoring run during the quarter. Lenoir-Rhyne hit eight three-pointers in the period and used the surge to take control of the game.
After trailing early, the Bears outscored Augusta 32-12 in the second quarter to build a 42-27 lead at halftime.
Despite the deficit, Augusta continued to battle throughout the second half against the No. 2 seed in the region.
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