Augusta State Captures Region Championship 85-57 over USC Aiken; Returns to Elite Eight

AUGUSTA, GA – The Augusta State Jaguars earned a return trip to Springfield, Mass., and the NCAA Division II Elite Eight as they used a suffocating defense to smother the USC Aiken Pacers 85-57 on Tuesday in Augusta. The Jaguars, the top seed in the Southeast Regional, improve to 29-4 on the year with their 15th straight win while USC Aiken sees their season come to a close with a 25-8 record.

The Jaguars held the Pacers to a season-low 57 points, forcing 17 USCA turnovers and limiting USCA to 5-of-21 three-point shooting. The Jaguars shot 60% (28-46) from the field, had 11 steals and five blocks.

Augusta State sprinted out of the gate, jumping to a 15-4 lead as they hit seven of their first 11 shots of the game, three of those from Garret Siler. The Pacers answered back with a 7-2 run to cut the lead to four with 9:45 to go in the first, five of those points from Kingsley Oguchi.

Leading by six with 5:44 to go, the Jaguars put the lead back into double figures following a Steve Smith three-pointer and Greg Hire layup and led 36-27 at the break.

USC Aiken made their move to cut into the ASU lead to start the second half. After ASU pushed the lead to 13 following a three-pointer from Fred Brathwaite and layup by Ben Madgen, the Pacers went on another 7-2 run, featuring a three-pointer from Chris Commons, that left the lead at eight with 16:16 to go.

But USC Aiken would get no closer as Augusta State went on a 15-5 run over the next four minutes that left the lead at 21 with 12:39 to play. USCA cut the lead to 17 following a Josh Dollard jumper, but Ben Madgen’s dunk with 9:21 to play put the lead back above 20 points where it would remain for the rest of the game.

Garret Siler was named the tournament’s Most Oustanding Player after tying for the team lead with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting. The senior center also had a team-high six rebounds and five blocks. Madgen also scored 25 for ASU, hitting six of seven from the field and all 11 of his free throw attempts. ASU shot 68% in the second half alone and hit 24 of 28 free throws in the contest.

Dollard led the Pacers with 16 points off the bench while Oguchi added 12. Seth Leonard added eight points and a team-best five rebounds while Chris Commons had eight points.

The win was the 80th in the last three years for Augusta State against only 18 losses, the most successful stretch in school history. The Jaguars return to the Elite Eight where, a year ago, they reached the national championship game for the first time. Augusta State will meet Christian Brothers, winners of the South Region, in the first game of the Elite Eight on Wednesday, March 25, at 12:00 from the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield.

Boxscore