AIKEN, SC - Senior guard Jakirra Millsap scored
a team-high 24 points, including two free throws with 8.8 seconds
left, to lift North Georgia College & State University to an
exciting 88-86 win over Armstrong Atlantic State University, Friday
evening in the quarterfinals of the Peach Belt Conference
Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Saints improve to 18-10, win their first-ever game in the PBC
Tournament, and advance to the tournament semifinals on Saturday at
8 p.m. against the USC Aiken/Lander winner.
Millsap was 13 of 14 at the foul line including the two shots that
broke an 86-86 deadlock. Junior frontline players Xavier Trice and
Anthony Rowe each scored 18 points, while guard Andre Morgan added
16 points. Rowe also hauled down a team-high nine rebounds.
Senior guard Corey Johnson paced AASU (17-11) with 28 points and
seven rebounds, while reserve swingman T.T. Hall came off the
Pirate bench to score 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Following Millsap’s two charity tosses, AASU’s Johnson
raced the ball up the court but slipped to the floor and a jump
ball was called. Johnson was injured on the play and had to leave
the floor. The Pirates retained possession, but following the
in-bounds pass, AASU failed to get off as potential tying shot as
the ball was twice knocked away by North Georgia defenders.
The Saints, who shot 51.7 percent in the opening half, led 41-32
at intermission. Five minutes into the second stanza, the margin
remained at nine (51-42). Johnson and Hall then fueled a 14-4 AASU
rally that erased the deficit and gave the Pirates a 56-55 lead
with 10:34 left.
North Georgia then regained the lead, and following two Millsap
free throws, the Saints led 82-76 with 1:12 remaining. An acrobatic
lay-in by Johnson that resulted in a three-point play with 22.7
ticks left brought AASU to within 85-84. Following one free throw
by North Georgia’s LaBrian Lyons with 21.4 seconds on the
clock, Johnson tied the contest at 86-86 on a layup with 10 seconds
remaining. On the ensuing possession, Millsap was fouled in the
backcourt and he drained the game-deciding shots.
North Georgia finished the game 28 of 34 at the free throw
line.
Quotes:
NGCSU Head Coach Chris Faulkner:
“It turned out to be a great basketball game. I felt
Armstrong did a great job in the second half of picking up the
defensive pressure which gave us a little bit of problems on the
offensive end. On the other end, they just tried to penetrate us a
lot and we were able to withstand that, thankfully”
“The way Armstrong defends and comes at you they really
force you to make plays. We talked about that the whole game to
encourage our guards to keep attacking and keep
attacking.”
Jakirra Milsap on possibility of playing USC Aiken in the next
round:
“It’ll be tough. They’re a really good team.
Aiken’s big on their guard play and we’re big on our
guard play, so we match up with them well.”