AUGUSTA, Ga. – Third-ranked and top-seeded Augusta State had an answer for seemingly every basket and used 22 second-chance points from a 40-to-29 rebounding advantage to advance past UNCP in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament on Saturday at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

The win improves the Jaguars (28-3) current home winning streak to 47 games, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation, and they have now won 19 straight times over UNCP (18-12), including four this season. The loss closes the door on the best season for a UNCP team since joining the Division II ranks.

The Jaguars opened up the game with a 10-0 run through the first 5:52 before layup and-one by junior Nathan Priest got the Braves on the board. UNCP continued to push forth, cutting the host's lead to 12-8 on a jumper by sophomore Ty Alston with 12:12 remaining in the first half. 

The Jaguars would push their lead out to as much as 12 points with 47 seconds remaining, but an NBA-range trifecta from junior Marcus Heath in the waning seconds cut Augusta State's lead to 38-29 at halftime. 

UNCP shot just 37.5 percent during the first half, but a 5-of-9 effort from downtown kept them in it despite being out-rebounded 25-14, which allowed ASU to hold a 15-0 advantage on second-chance points.

The Jaguars finished the first half shooting 14-of-32, including a 5-of-11 line from long range.
A tough lay-up by sophomore George Blakeney and a 3-pointer by Shahmel Brackett cut the Jaguars lead to 41-36 with 15:26 remaining, and a pair of free throws by Chris Hargrove with 13:52 showing on the clock cut the hosts lead to three points at 43-40.

However, consecutive turnovers by the Braves that resulted in layups allowed the Jaguars to extend their lead to 47-40 with 12:20 remaining, but UNCP kept battling to cut the lead to four points, 53-49, on a free throw by Blakeney with 8:06 remaining.

After the hosts increased their lead back to nine, UNCP would trim it to four points, 58-54, on Brackett's third 3-pointer of the game with 6:24 to go. But as they had through the first 36 minutes of the game, the Jaguars had an answer on the next possession with a 3-pointer by George Johnson.

The Braves refused to go quietly into the night, however, as another 3-point basket by Heath, UNCP's eighth of the game, dropped to cut the deficit to 65-59 with 2:08 remaining. The Jaguars, keeping with their trend throughout the game, answered right back on the ensuing possession with a jumper by Franck Ndongo to extend their lead to eight points with 1:34 to go. 

The Jaguars would sink their free throws down the stretch to capture a 14-point victory that was much closer than the final score would indicate.

Brackett led the squad with 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting with all three baskets coming from behind the three-point line.

Fellow sophomores K.J. Cooper, Blakeney and Alston added nine points apiece while Heath added eight points and five assists.