Box Score

DAHLONEGA, GA – The North Georgia men’s basketball team opened their Peach Belt Conference season Monday evening, taking on 3rd-ranked Augusta State University and falling 85-62 as the unbeaten Jags continued their perfect season in Memorial Hall.

Augusta State stays undefeated on the season, improving to 11-0 overall and 3-0 in the Peach Belt Conference, while North Georgia falls to a game under the .500 mark, moving to 5-6 overall and falling to 0-1 in the league.

In the opening minutes, the Jaguars quickly jumped out to a 10-point lead, using a dunk by Fred Brathwaite with 16:00 minutes in the first half to give ASU a 12-2 advantage.

North Georgia would pull to within three points twice in the final 10 minutes of the first period, but the Jags surged down the stretch to take an 11-point lead at 40-29 heading into intermission.

Augusta came out on fire in the second half, going on a 13-2 run to open the period as the Jags never looked back, leading by double digits the rest of the way in the victory.

Michael Moynihan was the bright spot offensively for the Saints, scoring a game-high 20 points on a 7-8 shooting performance from the free throw line. Carl Taylor was the only other North Georgia player in double figures, tallying 11 points with nine of those coming from behind the arc.

Four ASU players finished in double figures, including Alex Smith who put up a team-high 18 points, while Ben Madgen added 17 to become the Peach Belt Conference’s all-time leading scorer.

North Georgia shot 32.8 percent from the floor, 27.8 percent from behind the arc, and 63 percent from the free throw line, while Augusta State was 50.8 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from long range, and 87 percent from the charity stripe.

The Saints return to action on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Columbus State University for an in-state matchup with the Cougars. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Lumpkin Center.