AUGUSTA, Ga. – No. 25 (NABC Division II Top 25) Flagler College's backcourt duo of
Jaizec Lottie and
Derrick Ellis, Jr. supplied 33 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, but it was not enough to knock off No. 10 Augusta University as the Jaguars won the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship game 82-71 Saturday night at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Augusta, the top seed, improved to 28-3 overall. Flagler, the No. 2 seed, is now 23-7. Augusta receives the PBC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. Flagler is expected to receive one of the five at-large berths. The selection show is tomorrow night at 10:30 p.m.
"I thought our guys played really hard tonight," said head coach
Chad Warner. "To win a game of that magnitude on the road, you have to be a bit more locked in on the defensive end. I have a lot of belief in this team and I'm looking forward to making a run in the regional."
The Saints held the lead for almost the entirety of the first half and led by as many as eight (34-26) after a
Chase Fiddler three-pointer with 3:05 left to go. A pair of Miguel Arnold treys closed the gap to 34-32 at the half.
Lottie's triple early in the second half gave Flagler a 39-36 lead, but Augusta answered with a 15-2 run and never trailed again. Tyshaun Crawford, the tournament's most valuable player, scored six points in that spurt.
The Saints pulled to within four on three different occasions, but just couldn't get any closer.
Ellis, Jr. led the Saints with 17 points, a game-high eight assists and four rebounds. Lottie added 16 points. Both were named to the all-tournament team.
Curtis Lewis contributed 10 points.
Kohl Roberts grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Crawford scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out five assists for Augusta. Arnold added 22 points while Troy Cracknell chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds. Tyree Myers tacked on 11 points.
The Jaguars shot 60.9 percent in the second half alone and they used 11 Saints turnovers to score 21 points.
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