ASU Jaguars

Clutch Shot Lifts Bentley Past Jaguars

// March 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Bentley’s Jason Brandt connected on a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds left and the Falcons upset No. 4 Augusta State 67-64 Wednesday night in a thriller at the National Quarterfinals of the Elite Eight at the MassMutual Center.

With the victory, the Falcons (26-6) advanced to face Cal Poly Pomona in Thursday’s 8:30 p.m., Final Four contest. The Jaguars, making a school-record third consecutive appearance at the Elite Eight, saw their season end at 29- 4. The 2009-10 season marked the third straight year under head coach Dip Metress in which ASU posted 27 or more victories.

The contest proved to be the final appearance in an ASU uniform for the senior class of responsible for 5,257 career points along with 110 victories, three consecutive NCAA Regional titles and three Peach Belt Conference Championships in a four-year span.

Senior Alex Smith registered 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Ben Madgen, who wrapped his decorated career with 2,306 points, scored 13 and senior Fred Brathwaite turned in 12 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Franck Ndongo booked his first double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Bentley’s Jason Westrol, the National Player Of The Year, turned in a game-high 23 points and Brian Tracey had 19 points and eight rebounds.

“It’s always tough to lose here,” Metress said. “This program has come a long way because of the senior class. The kids are very upset right now.”

ASU and Bentley were tied at 26-26 at halftime and found themselves tied again with 49 seconds to play when Dixon picked up a loose ball near the 3-point line and drained a trey that tied the score at 62-62.

Brandt answered with a trey of his own as the Falcons kept their national championship dream alive.

Bentley shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field and got 23 points from Westrol. Brian Tracey pumped in 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

“This was a tough game,” Bentley head coach Jay Lawson said. “We won because we were able to get in position and help defend every attack. That is how we play, and we are usually successful when we play that way.”

ASU shot a season-low 35.8 percent (24-of-67) from the floor and connected on just 4-of-21 3-point attempts while Bentley posted a 43.9 percent (25-of-57) shooting effort.

The Jags, who ranked second in the nation in rebounding margin entering the Elite Eight, dominated the boards with a 53-28 advantage.

“We hurt ourselves too much tonight,” Metress said. “We did not play as well as we would have liked to.”

ASU Set To Face Bentley In Elite Eight

// March 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

For the third consecutive season, the Augusta State men’s basketball squad will be featured on college basketball’s national stage when the Jaguars take the floor Wednesday night in the MassMutual Center.

The No. 4 Jags will face off against the Bentley Falcons at 8:30 p.m., in the fourth and final National Quarterfinal game of the day.

The contest will feature a live webcast and live stats at both www.aug.edu/athletics  and www.ncaa.com.

The Falcons, the East Region champions, enter the Elite Eight with a 25-6 record. Bentley is making its third Elite Eight appearance in the last four years — 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Bentley is led by NABC National Player Of The Year Jason Westrol. A 6-3, 195-pound senior guard, Westrol averaged 21.2 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 3.2 apg., and 2.3 spg., and was also named a Daktronics First-Team All-American.

The Jags-Falcons’ winner will advance to face the winner of St. Joseph’s (Ind.) (20-11) and Cal Poly Pomona (25-6) in the National Semifinals on Thursday, March 23 at 8:30 p.m.

ASU has advanced for the third straight season to the Elite Eight. With a victory over Bentley, the Jags will match the school record for wins in a season and advance to the Final Four for the third consecutive year.

Augusta State Advances To Third Straight Elite Eight

// March 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Augusta State senior guard Ben Madgen tallied a game-high 28 points and senior forward Fred Brathwaite registered 25 points and a game-high seven rebounds as the Jaguars held off Montevallo to claim a 79-71 victory Tuesday night in the championship game of the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regional in Christenberry Fieldhouse.

With the win, the No. 4 Jaguars captured their third consecutive NCAA Regional title and advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third straight season. The victory — ASU’s 31st consecutive home win — lifted the Jags to 29-3 on the year. Montevallo, playing in the Southeast Region for the first time after reaching the South Region championship game four times, closed their season with a 25-8 record.

The victory improved ASU to 14-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 13-3 under sixth-year head coach Dip Metress. The Jags closed out their 2009-10 home schedule with an 18-0 home record and became the first team in school history to go undefeated at home. ASU’s senior class of Madgen, Daniel Dixon, Brathwaite, Greg Hire and Alex Smith posted a 57-4 home record during their careers. The win — the Jags’ ninth straight in NCAA Regional play — also avenged an 81-77 loss to the Falcons 10 days ago in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals.

ASU will face Northeast Regional champion Bentley in the National Quarterfinals of the Elite Eight at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., on March 24 at 8:30 p.m.

ASU hit eight of its first 13 shots from the field to open the game. A Travis Keels’ layup put the Jaguars up 21-12 with 11:00 to play. Brathwaite then hit a pair of free throws, followed by a Madgen jumper to boost that lead to 25-13 with 8:33 left in the first half.

The lead grew to 13 twice, the largest margin of the half. Greg Hire hit a pair of free throws with 4:06 to play for the first 13-point margin. UM answered with a Ronald Severtsgaard free throw but ASU’s Alex Smith hit one of two from the line to keep the margin at 13.

Montevallo’s Tauras Dortch hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead down to nine, but Severtsgaard traveled on the ensuing inbounds play, giving ASU the ball with 4.8 seconds remaining. Madgen came off two screens to catch the inbounds at the top of the key, where he was fouled in the act of taking a 3-pointer by Mark Plaza. With zeros on the scoreboard, Madgen hit all three free throws that gave ASU a 41-30 halftime lead.

The Jaguar lead grew to as many as 14 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Greg Hire, who hit all three of his field goal attempts, drained a 14-footer from the elbow that made the lead 47-33. UM cut its deficit to 10 following a Plaza layup, but ASU responded with a Brathwaite jumper at the 14:32 mark that left ASU out in front 53-39. But that would be the last ASU field goal for nearly eight minutes as Montevallo rallied.

The Falcons went on a 12-1 run over the next six minutes that cut the lead down to three. Plaza scored seven straight points for the Falcons, all on driving layups. He was fouled on the final drive and converted the 3-point play with 10:05 left to pull within six. Freddy Little capped the run with a driving layup of his own followed by a Demarcus Richard free throw that brought the ASU margin to three with over eight minutes to go.

Down 54-51, Montevallo surrendered two free throws to Madgen before a Freddy Little layup cut the lead back to three with 7:21 to play. Madgen responded for the Jaguars with two free throws and a jumper at the 6:34 mark that pushed the lead back to seven, but Little drained a trey and Plaza drove in for another layup to pull the Falcons within 60-58 at the 4:45 mark.

ASU senior point guard Daniel Dixon stopped the bleeding and turned the momentum with a 3-pointer from the left elbow on ASU’s next possession, bringing the 2,131 fans in attendance back to their feet. Little answered with a driving layup, bending around an ASU defender in the air to bank his shot off the glass. That bucket brought the Falcons within 63-60, but they would get no closer as the Jaguars scored seven straight points, including a thunderous put-back dunk from Brathwaite, that left the score 70-60 with 1:13 to play.

Forced to foul, UM put Madgen on the line where he hit four straight over the final 48 seconds to seal the victory. Madgen hit all 14 of his free throw attempts in the game, scoring a game-high 28 points with five rebounds and two assists.

Brathwaite was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player with his 25-point performance, connecting on 11-of-13 shots from the field. The senior guard/forward from Columbus, Ga., also hit his only 3-point attempt and led the team with seven rebounds. He eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in his career with a 17-foot jumper at the 14:32 mark of the second half. Alex Smith added nine points for ASU while Hire had eight and Dixon seven with nine assists. The Jaguars shot 57 percent from the floor in the game, including 65 percent (13-of-20) in the second half alone. ASU was also 76 percent from the line and held a 26-19 rebounding advantage.

Little led the Falcons with 23 points as he hit five-of-eight 3-pointers. Plaza added 20 and a team-high seven assists while Gerald January scored nine with a team-best six rebounds. UM shot even better than ASU, hitting 58 percent (28-48) in the game and 65 percent in the second half. Montevallo did have 13 turnovers to only 10 for Augusta State. (Box Score) (Photos)

All-Tournament Team
FRED BRATHWAITE, AUGUSTA STATE, MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
BEN MADGEN, AUGUSTA STATE
Freddy Little, Montevallo
Mark Plaza, Montevallo
Kevis Cornwell, Anderson

Montevallo Head Coach Danny Young
“I thought our kids played really hard and they battled all the way down the stretch. The difference for us is that we had a hard time getting to the foul line. The difference in the scores was the foul shots.”

(On attacking the basket) “That was our game plan again was to attack the basket and we didn’t do a very good job at it.”

(On switching Freddy in the defense) “I needed to get Plaza on Madgen and try not to wear him out defensively.”

(On Augusta State) “They played really well, and it is hard to beat them at home.”

Augusta State Head Coach Dip Metress
“My seniors are the reason why we are going back to Massachusetts. I am glad that they had the chance to win this last game on their home floor.”

(On the good plays the seniors made) “Very difficult to have lead and have a team come back and cut it and still keep your composure they did a great job in going to the next play and encouraging each other.”

Augusta State’s Daniel Dixon
“Thank God for allowing us to be here and to have this opportunity. It means a lot to us seniors; we did not want to lose this last game at home.”

(On guarding Freddy little) “It takes a lot of energy to guard him because all he does is come off the screens. I credit my team; they helped me out so much when I got caught up in the screens.”

Augusta State’s Ben Madgen
(On winning the NCAA Regional three times in four years) “We are pretty lucky. We work very hard in the off season preparing, and after winning our first regional we are still hungry to win the next one. It is really good to share this with the rest of these guys and coach.”

(On going back to Springfield) “We have some unfinished business. We want to win if all, but we are just going to take it one game at a time.”

Augusta State’s Greg Hire
(On the score being 52-50) “I just had confidence in guys on the floor. I was waiting for Daniel to hit it and incredible shot. You just have confidence in group you have on the floor.”

(On last home game win) “We have the best community support. They were loud the entire game and they pump you back up. It is hard to get down cause they get you right back up.”

Augusta State’s Fred Brathwaite
(On determination) I got a little down on myself, I had three turnover and my teammates told me to keep playing hard and just stick with it. I told myself I was not going to let us lose.

Augusta State’s Alex Smith
(On going to Springfield and winning regional) “It’s a new experience for me. I think that it is an absolute blessing that I was able to come to this program and do great things. I am really happy to be a part of this team.”

Jags-Falcons Meet For Third Time

// March 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Augusta State and Montevallo meet for the third time this season — and for the second time in the last 10 days — when the Jaguars and Falcons square off in Christenberry Fieldhouse Tuesday night in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship game at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets go on sale at the Christenberry Fieldhouse box office one hour before tipoff at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, and are also available for purchase online until 4:00 p.m., Tuesday afternoon. Tickets purchased online will be available at will call. There is no advanced sale of tickets planned for Tuesday prior to the 6:00 p.m., opening of the box office. Tickets may also be purchased on ASU’s Walton Way campus in the JagCard office.

The ASU-Montevallo matchup marks the third consecutive season in which the regional title game has featured an all-Peach Belt Conference pairing. The Jags defeated Clayton State 89-72 in the 2008 regional championship and overwhelmed USC Aiken 85-57 last March in the title game.

The winner advances to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass., slated for March 24, 25 and 27.

ASU advanced to the regional final with victories over No. 8 seed Brevard (91-73) and No. 5 seed Anderson (100-70), while the Falcons have gotten past both second-seeded Mount Olive and No. 6 seed USC Aiken.

The Jags defeated Montevallo 61-40 on Feb. 13 in a nationally-televised on contest on CBS College Sports Network, while UM eliminated ASU from the Peach Belt Conference Tournament with an 81-77 win over the Jags on March 6 in the USC Aiken Convocation Center.

A live webcast and live stats are available online at www.aug.edu/athletics.  John Patrick (play-by-play) and Robert Thurman (color) will call all the action as the Jags look to extend their home winning streak to a school-record 31 games.

ASU Advances To Regional Championship

// March 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Top-seeded Augusta State led from start to finish in a resounding 100-70 victory over fifth-seeded Anderson in the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

The 30-point win over Anderson moves the Jaguars into the championship game of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional for the third straight season. The Jaguars will play seventh-seeded Montevallo for the right to advance to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16.

Augusta State has now won 30 consecutive home games. The Jaguars improved to 28-3 on the 2009-10 season overall with the victory over the Trojans. Anderson, who won its first ever NCAA Tournament game the night before with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Catawba, concludes one of the best seasons in school history with a mark of 24-8.

Augusta State went up by as many as 11 points in the first half with the Jaguars clinging to an 11-point 43-32 advantage after a Tye Beal jumper with 1:18 remaining in the first half.

Anderson’s Kevis Cornwell would knock down a three-pointer a few seconds later to cut the Jaguar lead to eight, but Augusta State’s Daniel Dixon would connect on two free throws with seven seconds left in the first half to send the Jaguars into the locker rooms with a 45-35 halftime advantage.

The 10-point halftime lead was the result of a 62.5 percent shooting performance by Augusta State in the first half of play. Augusta State hit upon 15 of its 24 shots in the first half. The majority of their damage came from beyond the arc where they were 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) in the first half. Dixon (4) and Ben Madgen (3) accounted for all seven three-pointers.

Anderson concluded the first half shooting a respectable 45.5 percent (15-for-33), but the Trojans were horrid from three-point range where they were just 1-of-11 in the first half. The Trojans did hold a 16-10 advantage in the paint at the halftime break.

Anderson would open the second stanza by pushing their deficit below double digits twice, but Augusta State was able to respond by going up by as many as 16 at 65-49 after a Madgen jumper at the 11:36 mark of the second half. The Jaguars kept plugging as exactly five minutes later, Augusta State’s advantage was 21 points at 81-59 after a lay-up by Fred Braithwaite.

Dixon accentuated a strong second half effort by the Jaguars by nailing a three-pointer from beyond NBA range with 2:03 remaining in the contest to place the Jaguars ahead by 23 at 91-68.

Augusta State concluded the eventual 30-point victory with Dominic Morra hitting a three-pointer with nine seconds left to set the final score at 100-70. The 100 points secured by Augusta State were their most ever in an NCAA Regional game.

The Jaguars continued to scorch the nets in the second half to finish the contest shooting 61.4 perecnt (35-for-57). Augusta State hit 13 of its 25 three-point attempts (52 percent) in the victory.

Anderson shot a collective 46.6 percent (27-of-58) as a team in the contest. They improved from beyond the arc (40 percent) in the second half, but it was not enough to place the Trojans into the contest in the second half.

Madgen (24) and Dixon (23) led the Jaguars in their victory. Madgen was 7-for-13 from the field, while Dixon hit seven three-pointers to commandeer the 23 points.

Fred Braithwaite and Alex Smith were the final Jaguars in double figures. Braithwaite picked up 19 points and six rebounds, while Smith had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Cornwell was the top scorer for the Trojans with 17 points. Tony Anderson (15) and Trey Britton (13) were the final Anderson players in double figures. (Box Score) (Photos)

QUOTES

Augusta State Head Coach Dip Metress
“We thought if we could control their drives, which we did a better job the second half that we could really open up. We thought our size was going to be a factor. This is a great win and we have the chance to play on Tuesday. This is the last game at Christenberry Fieldhouse for some of these guys and it is a great way to end career.

(On playing Montevallo Tuesday) We are just happy to be playing on Tuesday. They have good players and they played USC Aiken well today. There really is not a perfect scenario, as long as you get the chance to play on Tuesday, no matter who it is.

Augusta State’s Daniel Dixon
(On performance tonight) I give it up to our defense. Coach asked us to do one thing, defend the rebound and defend Anderson from driving.

(On making shots) I would not say that it is the most important, but it did boast my confidence. Also feeding off Ben helps me as well.

(On last home game) “It is really emotional. I have been thinking about it a lot. It is going to be an emotional game for all seniors. You don’t want to lose that last game at home. All five seniors will leave there hearts out on the floor”

Augusta State’s Ben Madgen
(On the offense clicking) “It feels great, offense has never really been a problem for us and we have lots of weapons. Defense is going to be our biggest key to moving forward. If we are playing good defense then it leads into good offense.”

(On Daniel Dixon) “It is great, when he is rolling he is rolling, he does not seem to miss when he makes a few. Daniel has been playing great and really dishing the ball out.”

(On last home game Tuesday) “It is going be a lot of fun. We have always left everything out on the floor and I don’t see it being any different.”

Augusta State’s Caleb Brown
(On being called on off the bench) “When my name is called I just do anything I can to help the team and be as aggressive as I can be.”

(On how the team is doing now) “Great our defense is solid and our rebounding is solid. We have no problem scoring and we just need to keep the momentum going.”

Anderson Head Coach Jason Taylor
“They are a great team, and they could possible be the national champions, and they were really great tonight. I really thought we would have a fight on our hands early on, but our defense has been inconsistent all year.”

(On second half) “In the second half we just could not get into a rhythm and we pressed too much. I thought we played well in the first half though and I loved the way we rebounded in the first half.”

Anderson’s Kevis Cornwell
(On difference from last night) “We only had 24 hours to get ready for tonight, where as we had a week to get ready for Catawba. They are two completely different teams.”

Anderson’s Tony Anderson
(On difference from last night) “I thought the difference was Augusta State’s size. They are a lot bigger and can get more boards.”

ASU Knocks Off Brevard, 91-73

// March 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Two Jaguars finished with double-doubles and top-seeded Augusta State pulled away from eighth-seeded Brevard in a 91-73 victory over the Tornados in the quarterfinals of the 2010 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Southeast Regional at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

The victory by the Jaguars moves them into the semifinal round of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional where they will play the winner of the #4 Catawba-#5 Anderson game at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 14.

Augusta State is now 27-3 on the 2009-10 season. Brevard concludes one of its best seasons in school history with a 21-10 record.

Augusta State opened the game up on all cylinders with the region top-seeded Jaguars clinging to a 16-7 lead five minutes into the contest. The Jaguars began the game shooting 66.7 percent (6-for-9) from the field in the inaugural five minutes of the contest.

Behind a 13-6 run over the next five minutes and two consecutive three-pointers from Shane Galloway the Tornados had cut the Jaguar lead to just two points at 22-20 with 9:49 left until intermission.

The Jaguars responded to Brevard’s run by scoring seven straight points to push their lead back to nine points at 29-20 by the third media timeout of the first half at the 7:44 mark. A 9-5 run by Brevard over the next five minutes pulled the Tornado back to within five at 34-29 with just over two minutes remaining until the halftime break.

A jumper by Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year Ben Madgen and a three-point play by Caleb Brown garnered Augusta State a 10-point 39-29 lead to squash Brevard’s short spurt. Brevard would then close the first half on a 5-0 run to sit five behind the Jaguars at 39-34 at intermission.

Augusta State concluded the first half shooting 48.4 percent (15-for-31) as a team, while the Tornados ended the first half of play shooting exactly 40 percent (12-for-30).

Madgen and Smith accounted for 24 of Augusta State’s 39 points in the half, while Jonathan Whitson and Josh Roper acquired 21 of Brevard’s 34 points in the first stanza.

The Jaguars commenced the second half on a 7-2 run to extend their lead back to 10 once again at 46-36 with 18:12 left in regulation.

The score would hover around the 10-point mark for the next 11 minutes before Daniel Dixon was able to secure Augusta State its largest lead of the game at the time at 13 points with a three-pointer at the 7:49 mark that set the score at 70-57 in Augusta State’s favor.

The Tornados would not be able to get any closer down the stretch with the Jaguars pulling away for the 18-point 91-73 victory.

Augusta State ended their efforts on Saturday evening shooting 50 percent (32-for-64) from the floor. Brevard finished its loss shooting 44.8 percent (26-for-58) as a team.

Braithwaite was the top performer for the Jaguars in their victory, collecting 20 points and 15 rebounds. Braithwaite obtained six of his 15 boards on the offensive glass.

Smith ended the Jaguar victory with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Madgen led Augusta State in total points with 22 points, while Greg Hire was the final Jaguar in double figures with 12 points.

Roper was the star for the Tornados in their first ever tournament appearance with the guard scoring a game-high 27 points. Roper shot 50 percent from the field and he was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

Brevard’s Whitson was the final player in double figures. He had 15 points in total. (Box Score) (Photos)

QUOTES

Augusta State Head Coach Dip Metress
“First game is always the toughest. I give Brevard a lot of credit; they really hung in there and played very well. In the second half we just dominated the board a little bit and we were able to finish the plays around the rim, which made a huge difference.”

(On defense in the second half) “Yes, it was better, Roper really got it going and we did a good job of making him make the tough shots. They are tough to guard, because they have guys that can shoot and that are pretty skilled.”

(Work on tomorrow) “The good thing and bad things is that we will play a team that we have not played already in the season, so we are going to need to be ready to play tomorrow.”

Augusta State’s Fred Brathwaite
(On wrist): “My wrist has been sore all week and I have been playing through it. When I dunked I tweaked it a little bit, but it is nothing to worry about.”

(On sitting and confidence) “When I came out and could sit there and watch what was going on with everyone sitting together, I noticed that my teammates had my back and I would do the same thing for one of the other starters if they came out.”

Augusta State’s Ben Madgen
(On halftime adjustments) “We changed a few things up, we switched things up with Roper and that helped us out. We kept the intensity up and just keep on doing what we are doing.”

(On defense) “A lot better than against Montevallo. We worked a lot on defending the triple penetration post and giving up easy shots. I think there are a few more things that we need to work on.”

Augusta State’s Alex Smith
(On Peach Belt teams winning today) “I would say that the Peach Belt is a very tough conference and playing against other strong teams prepares us for the tournament.”

(On Brevard’s Sam Carlisle) “He is a pretty big guy. When I faced up on him he backed up off of me because he was expecting me to drive, so i figured if I hit a couple of jumpers early on then it would cause him to pull up on me and I would be able to get by him.”

(On defending Carlisle) “Keep him outside the paint as much as possible and chest up because he is 6-10 and I cannot block hiss shots as much as I want to.”

Brevard Head Coach Michael Jones
“I am very proud of our guys; this has been a tremendous run for us. I have a first class group of seniors that I am just so proud of. Obviously this is not how we wanted things to end, but we competed for 40 minutes. The stage that we played on tonight caught us by surprise and we missed some easy shots and we did some things that we do not usually do early on. There is no question that Augusta State is a great team and they make you pay when you make mistakes.”

Brevard’s Josh Roper
(On Brevard’s program) “Last year our record was 3-13 in the conference and nobody really knew about the team we had except us. We did not really have many people believing in us, but we set our goals high and we have made it this far.”

Madgen Earns Top Regional Honor

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Augusta State’s Ben Madgen was selected as the 2009-10 Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year Wednesday afternoon.

With the selection, Madgen claimed the region’s top award for the second consecutive season. He was also named a first-team, All-Southeast Region selection for the second straight year. He was joined on the All-Region first team by ASU teammate and fellow senior Fred Braithwaite, along with Mars Hill’s Danny Sanders, Mount Olive’s Kendrick Easley and Tusculum’s Kyle Moore.

With the first-team selection, all five players are automatically eligible for Daktronics All-American honors. In addition to Madgen, Easley and Moore are first team All-Region selections for a second straight season.

A 6-4 senior guard from Williamstown, Australia, Madgen was a first-team, All-Peach Belt Conference selection for the fourth consecutive season in 2010 and earned PBC Player of the Year accolades on Friday, March 5. He became the conference’s all-time leading scorer midway through the season and is the only men’s player in conference history to score more than 2,000 career points. Madgen also became the second player ever to be named All-Conference four times and the third to be named both the PBC Freshman of the Year and the PBC Player of the Year during his career.

This season, Madgen led the conference in scoring at 18.4 ppg. He currently leads the Peach Belt Conference in both scoring and 3-point shooting percentage at 19 points a game and 46 percent from 3-point range. Madgen is also shooting 49 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line.

Braithwaite, a 6-4 forward from Columbus, Ga., was a first team All-Peach Belt Conference selection, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds a game while shooting 57 percent from the field and 75 percent from 3-point range. He is currently ranked second in the PBC in rebounding and third in scoring.

Behind the play of Madgen and Brathwaite, ASU captured its third PBC regular-season championship in the last four years with a league record of 17-1. The Jags became the first program in conference history to reach the top of national rankings and enjoyed the winningest regular season in school history at 25-2.

Sanders was a first-team, All-South Atlantic Conference selection, averaging 23 ppg., to rank second in the SAC, Easley, a 6-1 senior guard from Norfolk, Va., earned Conference Carolinas Player of the Year honors for a second straight season, leading the league in scoring at 24 ppg. Moore, a 6-3 senior guard from Gainesville, Fla., was selected as the SAC Player of the Year for a second straight season, leading the league in scoring at 25 ppg. The voting, sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., was conducted by sports information directors from across the Southeast Region, which is comprised of the Peach Belt Conference, the South Atlantic Conference and Conference Carolinas.

2010 DAKTRONICS ALL-SOUTHEAST REGION TEAM

First Team
Player 		School 		Yr. 	Pos. 	Ht. 	Wt. 	Hometown
BEN MADGEN 	AUGUSTA STATE 	Sr. 	G 	6-4 	185 	Williamstown, Australia
Kendrick Easley Mount Olive 	Sr. 	G 	6-1 	180 	Norfolk, Va.
Danny Sanders 	Mars Hill 	Sr. 	G 	6-3 	190 	Shelby, N.C.
FRED BRATHWAITE AUGUSTA STATE 	Sr. 	G/F 	6-4 	227 	Columbus, Ga.
Kyle Moore 	Tusculum 	Sr. 	G 	6-3 	185 	Gainesville, Fla.
2010 Southeast Region Player of the Year: BEN MADGEN, AUGUSTA STATE

Second Team
Player 		 School 	  Yr. 	Pos. 	Ht. 	Wt. 	Hometown
D’Mario Curry 	 Lincoln Memorial Jr. 	F 	6-7 	180 	Detroit, Mich.
D.J. Blackmon 	 Lenoir-Rhyne 	  Jr. 	F 	6-6 	190 	Albemarle, N.C.
Antonio Houston  Catawba 	  Sr. 	G 	6-4 	220 	Charlotte, N.C.
Jonathan Whitson Brevard 	  Sr. 	C 	6-7 	240 	Clyde, N.C.
Chris Woods 	 Pfeiffer 	  Jr. 	F 	6-5 	215 	Greensboro, N.C.

Major Milestone For Madgen

// January 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Augusta State senior guard Ben Madgen achieved another career milestone Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ga., when he scored 21 points in a 72-59 Peach Belt Conference road win at Columbus State’s Lumpkin Center.

With his layup at the 13:43 mark of the first half that gave ASU a 19-4 lead, Madgen scored the 2,000th point of his celebrated career.

Currently sitting on 2,013 career points, Madgen is the first ASU men’s basketball player and the first men’s player in Peach Belt Conference history to reach the plateau.

A native of Williamstown, Australia, Madgen is the second player in the history of Augusta State Basketball to accomplish the feat. Former Lady Jaguar standout Lawanna Monday finished her career in 1998 with 2,143 career points.

Madgen, who currently leads the PBC in scoring at 18.1 ppg., is a three-time All-Peach Belt Conference selection and was named an All-American at the conclusion of his junior season by three different national organizations.

During his career, he has helped lead the Jaguar men’s basketball program to a 98-21 record. He holds school records for points scored (2,013), starts made (117), free throws made (502), free throws attempted (587) and free-throw percentage (.855) and ranks second only to ASU’s Gary Boodnikoff (282) in 3-pointers made (245).

Madgen will lead ASU against USC Aiken in a key PBC contest on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m., in Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Hot Start Lifts No. 8 Jaguars, 72-59

// January 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Augusta State jumped out to a 19-4 lead in the first six minutes of Saturday’s matchup with Columbus State and posted a 72-59 Peach Belt Conference road win over the Cougars in the Lumpkin Center.

Senior Alex Smith registered his second-best effort in a Jaguar uniform, booking a game-high 22 points. Ben Madgen tallied 21 points and Fred Brathwaite, playing in his hometown, snagged a game-high eight rebounds. Daniel Dixon carded seven assists and four steals and Frank Ndongo pitched in seven points off the bech.

Lamar Williams paced Columbus State with 16 points and Chris Telesford chipped in 11 points and eight boards.

The victory lifted ASU to 17-2 overall and to 9-1 in the PBC, while CSU dropped to 10-8 and 4-5, respectively.

The win was the Jags’ seventh in their last eight meetings with the Cougars and their third in the last four trips to the Lumpkin Center. The Cougars’ 59 points marked the eighth time this season ASU held an opponent to less than 60 points.

CSU led 2-0 before the Jags rattled of a 19-2 spurt in a span of 5:13 to open up a double-digit lead. A Madgen jumper at the 1:39 mark gave ASU its biggest lead of the game at 32-16. The Cougars pulled within seven on four different occasions in the second half — the last at the 5:13 mark — before Madgen answered with a free throw and then a jumper to push the Jags’ advantage back to double digits.

ASU welcomes USC Aiken to Christenberry Fieldhouse for a Peach Belt Conference showdown on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Pacers pulled off a 71-68 upset of No. 6 ASU on Monday, Jan. 25 in the USCA Convocation Center.

ASU Gets Past Hurricanes, 76-65

// January 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

Augusta State shot a season-high 61 percent from the field and picked up a 76-65 Peach Belt Conference road win over Georgia Southwestern Thursday night in the Storm Dome.

Senior Alex Smith paced the No. 8 Jaguars with 15 points, connecting on 13-of-14 free-throw attempts. Senior guard Ben Madgen pitched in 14 points and three assists and junior forward Franck Ndongo tallied a season-high 13 points.

ASU shot a season-best 67 percent in the first half and jumped out to a 41-26 halftime lead. The Jags led by as many as 20 points midway through the second half and doubled up GSW 32-16 on the boards. ASU outscored the Hurricanes 34-20 in the paint and got 32 points from the Jaguar reserves.

With the victory, ASU improved to 16-2 overall and to 8-1 in the PBC. GSW dropped to 5-13 and 1-7, respectively. The win was the Jags’ fifth straight in the series with the ‘Canes and their fourth straight win at GSW.

Chris Rawls, a preseason all-PBC selection, connected on 16-of-20 free-throw attempts and led the hosts with 24 points. Marcus Scott and Evan Mobley managed 17 and 11 points each.

ASU heads to Columbus, Ga., to take on Columbus State (10-7, 4-4) on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 3:30 p.m., in the Lumpkin Center.