ASU Division II Championship game updates

Per TV, we should be tipping off here about 2:36 p.m. CBS' Tim Brando is sitting on the court about 30 feet away. I bet he's wanting to know where to find some good sweet tea around here as well.

The teams are shooting around. The arena's not full. There will be a crowd probably north of 5,000 fans.

Here come the introductions. The ASU fans are chanting "A-S-U." The biggest game in Jaguar history is about to begin. 

Winona State 13, ASU 9, 15:21 until halftime

The Warriors drained their first five shots like it was a shootaround at the local YMCA. Winona just finally missed one. Ben Madgen's scored five points for the Jags. ASU may be trying to do too much to get the ball inside to Garret Siler. One good thing: Winona's John Smith has one foul.

ASU 17, Winona State 15, 11:53 until halftime

Jaguars are taking advantage of the Warriors' doubling up on Siler. Bowman just scored on a highlight alley-oop dunk on a feed from Daniel Dixon. Siler added a hook shot. Bowman then took another pass inside from Madgen and threw it in to give the Jaguars a two-point lead.

ASU 26, Winona State 24, 7:03 halftime 

The Jaguars are playing like they've been here before. How much did that game at Georgia earlier this season help?

Bowman and Madgen are playing outstanding. Siler has been on the bench now for a several minutes. The refs, on a very questionable call, gave him a second foul when John Smith spun around him and tripped over Bowman's leg.

But Luke Tambon came in for Siler and picked up a charge on Smith, giving him two fouls. That Tambon is one scrappy dude. He's not the most talented player, but he plays with energy and gives the team good defense.

ASU 34, Winona State 26, 4:46 until halftime

Bowman's playing like Michael Jordan. He has 18 points already. He's scored eight consecutive points. Bowman drained two free throws. He added a fadeaway jumper. He probably got fouled when he scored inside again. He then added a hook shot.

The Georgia towns of Tignall and Washington have to be going absolutely crazy right now.

Bowman also forced Winona State's other great player, Jonte Flowers, to pick up his second foul.

John Smith's about to re-enter.

ASU 44, Winona State 32, Halftime

Jaguar fans, you couldn't have asked for a better half. Albeit, it could've been better. The Jaguars led by 16 with 58 seconds left until halftime. But Winona State's Cutrel Robinson made one free throw. Then, Quincy Henderson drained a 3-pointer at the end of the half to cut the lead to 12.

Bowman's played out of his mind, scoring 20 points. He probably looks even better on national television. Madgen's added 12 points. Tambon and Jason Killeen have come in and helped contain Winona State's Smith. He has six points. 

Augusta shot 70 percent from the field in the first half. The Jaguars can't keep that up, can they? ASU is cutting a path to the basket. The Jaguars have only shot three 3-pointers.

Siler returns in the second half. If he can play well, ASU may wrap this thing up. Do not get ahead of yourself, though. Twenty minutes may seem like an eternity. But if the Jaguars can play well for one more half, they can take this thing. 

USC Aiken coach Vince Alexander and his East All-Stars are being honored at halftime. The East won last night's All-Star game. Alexander's getting nice applaus from the ASU fans.

Side note: The attendance figure is 5,628, the largest championship game crowd since 1994. The total Elite Eight attendance figure is the largest since 1973.

ASU 53, Winona State 41, 15:54 remaining

The Warriors' Flowers seems to be getting in a little bit of a rhythm, though he just picked up his third foul. If he picks up a fourth foul and has to sit significant minutes, that will severely hurt Winona State's comeback bid.

Siler's scored seven of ASU's nine second-half points.

ASU 58, Winona State 56, 10:50 remaining

Bowman is on the bench with four fouls. All the momentum has swung to the Minnesota school. The Warriors are on a 20-5 run. ASU has to survive this run to win the game. The Jaguars need to get Siler involved on offense.

ASU 65, Winona State 65, 7:16 remaining

The game is a dogfight. Winona State's Smith is heating up. Bowman and Flowers each have four fouls. Bowman goes to the line with a chance to put the Jaguars ahead. He has 26. If ASU wins, Bowman's the MVP. Of course, Siler's played phenomenal in the second half.

Winona State 75, ASU 68, 3:50 remaining

Flowers just drained consecutive 3-pointers. ASU needs to go at him. The Jaguars don't need to force the issue. Getting the ball inside to Siler will be key.

Winona State 87, ASU 76, Final

There's disappointment now, but it's been one heckuva ride for the Jaguars. They had their chance. That's all you can ask for. Press conference to come.

ASU pre-game Division II championship blog

About 30 minutes to go before tipoff

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- As famed Georgia play-by-play football announcer Larry Munson says, get the picture.
The teams have yet to take the floor. A spirited bunch of ASU fans wearing different shades of blue are on the other side. Winona State has a large contingent of fans. They will make noise, lots of it. It's important the Jaguars get off to a fast start to silence these people wearing purple and white body paint.
As of Friday, about 4,400 tickets had been pre-sold for the 6,600-seat MassMutual Center. This place likely will be full today. It should be a great atmosphere not only for Division II basketball, but basketball in general.
If you want to play "Where's Waldo?" with us, photographer Michael Holahan will be behind the goals wearing an orange shirt and a red Masters cap. Don't worry, he's wearing pants, too. I am wearing glasses and a Braves hat (with either a gray pullover or a red sweater -- hey, it's cold in here). You likely won't see me, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I haven't shaved in a week or so (Thanks Delta, for destroying my electric razor.)
So much for my plans to watch a different movie Friday night. After writing and then grabbing a late supper, I went back to the hotel room and re-watched "Miracle" and "Hoosiers," two great inspirational sports films. See them both if you haven't already.
Kurt Russell, portraying U.S. Olympic Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, delivered a great speech before the U.S. team shocked the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. He said something like this to his team:
"Our time is now. Their time is over."
What a great thing for Augusta State coach Dip Metress to tell his team before it faces the Winona State dynasty at 2:30 p.m. on CBS.
I also went back and watched "Hoosiers." I've watched that film every night before the Jaguars' have played. Why stop watching it now?
Also, Michael and I went back to the Donut Dip (49 varieties!) this morning. For my money, about $.89, there's no better donut (or doughnut?) than the Bavarian cream.
All week, I've heard Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" on the radio. What a fantastic song. I may have to purchase the album. She's performing with the Counting Crows and Maroon 5 in Charlotte in July. I may have to look into getting tickets for that as well.
Well as you already know, today's game will be broadcast live to millions of people nationwide. For any Augustan, this is nothing new. The Masters Tournament will be broadcast around the globe in a couple of weeks. But today, it's time for tiny Augusta State to shine.
If the Jaguars win today, Peach Belt Conference media relations director Ken Gerlinger deserves an assist. When Augusta State trailed by double digits Wednesday to Central Oklahoma, he got a phone number for Orbitz to change his plane flight. Ken did not go home early; he's still around here somewhere probably eating the free food.
As for today's game, Augusta State can win if it sticks with its inside-outside game plan. The Jaguars must get the ball inside to center Garret Siler and let him establish an inside presence. If he can do that, he can free up the perimeter shooters. Augusta State can ill afford guard Ben Madgen to have another poor shooting performance. The sophomore guard is due a good game. I expect him to get the ball early. If he can play confident, the Jaguars will be tough to beat.
This if the final game for two-time All-American senior forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman and guard Demetrius Howard. Bowman's had one heckuva career at Augusta State. It'd be nice to see him play like he's played all year: taking the ball to hole and throwing down some highlight dunks on national television. Howard just needs to play like this is his last game and hustle around the court like he's done so many times before in recent weeks.
There's a lot of people wearing Winona State purple around here. One guy in the parking deck was wearing a short-sleeved short. Crazy! It's in the 30s here and it's not getting any warmer today.

ASU the day before the national championship game

I'm not sure where to begin. I'll start with this. I sent an e-mail to Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver this morning asking him about plans for the Jaguars whether they win or lose the national championship game Saturday. Here's his response:

"I have already started thinking about this and we will definitely do something to honor our hometown heroes!!!!! Go Jags!!!!!"

Augusta State fever seems to be running rampant throughout the city. It's hard to tell here in Springfield, Mass., just how excited everyone is in the Augusta area. If you want to share your thoughts, e-mail me at: chris.gay@augustachronicle.com

The Jaguars are scheduled to return to Augusta Regional Airport (the artist formerly known as Bush Field) at 11:34 Sunday morning. I hear there may be some sort of celebration at Forest Hills Golf Club that afternoon. Details to come.

This morning, Augusta State's players went over to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to tape some things like dribbling the ball, spinning the ball on their fingers, close-ups, etc., for the CBS opening segment.

Well, I just got through with a couple of coaches-only press conferences sanctioned by the NCAA. Augusta State's Dip Metress and Winona State's Mike Leaf discussed the upcoming game.

These are the two obvious matchups:

1) Augusta State center Garret Siler v. Winona State center John Smith: Siler has advantages in height (two inches) and weight (89 pounds). Siler has been the offensive catalyst for Augusta State the past two games. He will face his biggest challenge in Smith, the reigning two-time Division II Player of the Year. Smith averages 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds with 106 blocks.

2) Augusta State forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman v. Winona State guard Jonte Flowers. These players are about the same size. Bowman averages 19.6 points and 7.6 boards a game. Flowers posts 17.6 points and 5.4 boards with 117 steals. Bowman is 14-for-30 from the field with 40 points in the past two games. Metress said his All-American has plenty left in the tank.

"He has not played his best game yet," Metress said. "He's capable of having a great night."

As for Augusta State guard Ben Madgen, both coaches said they believe he'll get back on track. Madgen went without a field goal last night and is shooting 5-for-21 from the field, many of those shots off-balance.

"He'll bounce back," Metress said. "I hope he takes a lot of shots off two feet tomorrow, because he took a lot off one foot yesterday."

According to legendary sports information director Roy Pickerill pf Kentucky Wesleyan, the minimum national audience watching the game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS will be 3.6 million people, or about 3.597 million more people than the Jaguars had at their biggest home game this season at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Also, CBS is using the Division II national championship game as a lead-in for the Division I Tournament Regional Finals, which could add an even greater viewership.

Quick weather update: It's currently 38 degrees. We're expecting snow this evening. Who needs pollen, anyway?

Back to the game stuff:

Augusta State, as Metress acknowledged, goes into this game as the definitive underdog. Winona State (37-1) is one of the great Division II dynasties. The third-ranked Warriors, making their third consecutive trip to the national championship game, entered the Elite Eight with a 95-5 record in their past 100 games. Then, they just knocked off the two teams (Grand Valley State and Bentley) tied atop the Division II rankings.

"We've lost more games in one month than they've lost in three years," said Metress, whose team enters Saturday with a 27-6 record. "I think everybody expected them to be here. Not many people expected us to be here.

"We're the JV team. They're the varsity team."

But in saying that, Metress wanted to let everyone know Augusta State will not be in awe of Winona State.

"They've been there, but on the flip side, we've played some good people," he said. "Are we going to be star-struck a little bit with CBS and the people in the stands? Maybe."

Just one quick note to leave you with: the last Peach Belt Conference team to advance to the national championship game (Kennesaw State, 2004) won it.

ASU Final Four game updates

Less than 10 minutes until game time. The Jaguars are stretching. Alaska-Anchorage is shooting around the horn. About half the ASU fans are wearing their "Blackout" t-shirts. Fans are starting to file into the arena. It looks to be a smaller crowd than Wednesday's game, but I expect the arena to fill as fans from the nightcap will come in at the second half of this contest.

With TV broadcasting the game, there will be 487 timeouts. If nothing else, it will be slow. About to have the national anthem.

ASU 9, Alaska-Anchorage 5, 15:51 until halftime

Garret Siler's scored twice inside. Demetrius Howard hit a 3-pointer. Steve Smith scored on a reverse layup. The Seawolves are playing a 2-3 defense, but the Jaguars are splitting it. Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman and Ben Madgen have forced, and missed, a few jumpers. They need to settle down if ASU is going to be successful.

ASU 21, Alaska-Anchorage 5, 8:56 until halftime

What a difference a day makes. The Jaguars took an early lead and now they're playing with confidence. Daniel Dixon's playing like an All-Star at guard. Dixon hit a 3-pointer. Bowman just nailed another. Augusta State is playing lights out.

ASU 25, Alaska-Anchorage 9, 3:56 until halftime

The Jaguars are taking advantage of their quickness and pounding the ball inside. Bowman has 13 points. He could end up with 40 if he stops taking those fadeaway jumpers. Ben Madgen has zero points. Siler's been on the bench for 10 minutes with two fouls. And the Jaguars have a huge lead. If they can extend this lead to 20 at halftime, it'd be a heckuva cushion.

ASU 28, Alaska-Anchorage 11, Halftime

One more half like this and the Jaguars are going to the Division II championship game. The Jaguars have dominated with speed and athleticism. Bowman has 13 points, Dixon has five. Howard and Siler has four.

Augusta State has scored 14 points in the paint to Alaska-Anchorage's zero.

It's the fewest points the Jaguars have allowed in a half all season. It can't be this easy, can it?

The Seawolves were held to 19 percent shooting in the first half. They were 1-for-12 from three-point range.

Augusta State, meanwhile, was by no means perfect. The Jaguars only shot 37 percent themselves. They shot 2-for-8 from the perimeter. And they had eight turnovers.

Siler returns to the game in the second half with two fouls. Madgen will be seeking his first points of the game.

ASU 33, Alaska-Anchorage 25, 15:32 remaining

Of course it wasn't going to be easy. The Seawolves have opened the second half with four 3-pointers. Bowman hit a 3-pointer. That's ASU's lone bucket this half.

Alaska is collapsing its defense on Siler, making things difficult for him.

The Seawolves go to the line with a chance to cut the lead to six.

ASU 38, Alaska-Anchorage, 11:58 remaining

The Jaguars got a huge 3-pointer from Howard. Siler followed with a layup. The Seawolves are on him like a blanket.

Bowman just went to the bench to catch his breath. Alaska-Anchorage has been heaving up 3-pointers like Central Oklahoma. We'll see how that works out for them.

ASU 44, Alaska-Anchorage 38, 7:59 remaining

Sorry about the last post. Anyway, the game's a dogfight. Alaska-Anchorage is hitting 3-pointers and the Jaguars are trying to find some sort of offense. The good news: Augusta State is one foul away from going into the bonus. That could be huge down the stretch.

ASU 52, Alaska-Anchorage 46, 3:27 remaining

Siler's scored six points the past three minutes. He now has 16. He's going to the line to try to convert a three-point play. The Jaguars are trying to hang on. The clock just will not seem to run fast enough.

ASU 56, Alaska-Anchorage 50, FINAL!

Jaguars advance to the championship game Saturday. The ASU fans are going nuts, absolutley bonkers. What kind of party will there be in Springfield tonight?

ASU Final Four pre-game update

After Augusta State's thrilling double-overtime win over Central Oklahoma, I couldn't help myself. I went back to the room and watched the movie "Hoosiers" again. OK, I didn't watch the entire film, just a few scenes. On Tuesday night, I watched the end of the film when Jimmy Chitwood asked for the ball at the end of the state finals. He nailed the shot and the Hickory Huskers, a huge underdog, won an improbable championship.

I wonder how much Augusta resembles the Hickory Huskers. Probably not much at all. But now that the Jaguars are in the Final Four, they are now definite underdogs. No. 10 Augusta State faces No. 4 Alaska-Anchorage, a school with almost three times the amount of students as the Jaguars. But at this point, you can throw rankings and school size out the window.

So last night, I watched the scene in Hoosiers when Gene Hackman (what a fantastic actor) intentionally got tossed out of the game and Dennis Hopper was forced to coach the team down the stretch. With the game tied, he called for Hickory to run the old "picket-fence" play. Hopper: "Now boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry."

Of course, Hickory hit the shot and won the game. Augusta coach Dip Metress probably doesn't have the "picket-fence" play in his arsenal, but I'm sure he's got plenty of plays up his sleeve. Metress should be commended for the fine job he's done, not only this season, but the entire four years he's been with the Jaguars.

Back to the sports movies, I watched "Miracle" after getting my fill of "Hoosiers." "Miracle" is about the 1980 U.S. Hockey team, the climax being their win over the Soviet Union in the semifinal game. This is arguably the greatest sports moment of all time.

So that marked my second sports underdog film in two days. I'm out of sports films, but if the Jaguars win tonight I plan to watch Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. It's not a sports movie, but it's inspiring and has good overcoming evil and the works.

I don't know if this is an omen, but early Thursday morning, photographer Mike Holahan and I stopped at a place called, Donut Dip, an eatery that began in the 1950s before McDonald's and Burger King and the like. Two great donuts for less than $2. If Augusta State wins the whole shebang, I think Dip Metress should have his picture taken in front of the building.

From there, we ventured over to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Minutes into our tour, we looked down at the players and coaches on the basketball court. After a double take, I realized it was USC Aiken head coach Vince Alexander and assistant coach Nate Davis. They're in town coaching the East squad in a Division II All-Star Game. Davis joked Augusta State couldn't be in town without USC Aiken. Alexander said the experience is a fantastic way to cap the Pacers' breakthrough season. The All-Star Game will be held Friday night.

USC Aiken Head Basketball Coach Vince Alexander prepares to coach the East All-Star team

As for the Basketball Hall of Fame, there's plenty of history on the top floor, but the second floor is where you want to be. There's a lot of interactive items, like a rebounding machine and an arcade-style hoop. One thing I enjoyed was the machine that tested your vertical leap. At 6-foot, 175 pounds and 34 years old, I managed a 20-inch vertical leap. Take that Phil Mickelson! Holahan only leaped 15 inches. Hey, he's older than me. Once I lose 15, 20 pounds, I'll be dunking (a 9-foot-goal) like Dominique Wilkins.

So onto tonight's matchup. Augusta State seems have to an obvious advantage inside the paint with Garret Siler. The Jaguars need to keep him in the game to be successful. I'm not sure if Alaska-Anchorage can matchup with Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman's athleticism, either.

The Seawolves (great nickname) will not fire as many 3-pointers as Central Oklahoma did. On paper, Alaska-Anchorage is the fifth-best team in Division II, allowing a hair above 60 point a game. Augusta State's offense averages 78 points a contest. Of course, the great unknown is schedule strength. Some observers say, the Seawolves lost by four to Western Kentucky, a team in the Division I Sweet Sixteen. But Augusta State took Georgia, the Southeastern Conference Tournament champion, to the brink on the Bulldogs' home floor.

Alaska-Anchorage shoots the ball well from the floor and the free-throw line. The key may be for Augusta State to attack its interior defense.

The Jaguars were a bit nervous coming out Wednesday. I don't expect that tonight. Augusta State has a win, a great win, under its belt. In the Elite Eight contest, several players tried to force a lot of shots and make things happen the first 30 minutes. I expect them to settle down and play looser.

All the Jaguars need is a two-game winning streak to claim their first national championship. Of course, they have to win the first one tonight. With a win, Augusta State will be on CBS at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Tonight, they play on something called CBS College Sports Network. Good luck finding that somewhere on digital cable.

I will be providing live updates. Check back in later.

Augusta State in the Elite Eight

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (a.k.a. the Land of Unsweet Tea) - The Augusta State players walked into MassMutual Center about 10:30 a.m. They walked with a look of determination across the floor en route to the locker room. I just spoke to assistant coach Lenny Carlson. He acknowledged the fact Augusta State has played a few games this season lacking energy and focus. He assured me that won't happen today.

In case you're wondering, the MassMutual Center is a nice arena that holds almost 7,000 people. The chairback seats are blue. The aisle stairs are yellow. There is a massive scoreboard hanging from the middle of the arena. If you go to the top of the Lamar Building in downtown Augusta and look to Springfield, you may just see it. Trust me, no one will be throwing in any three-quarters court shots in the Elite Eight.

As for weather, the temperatures is supposed to reach a sizzling 52 degrees today. That's as warm as it will be the next five days.

The drive from Hartford, Conn., to Springfield is quite a contrast from the scenery in Augusta. Take pride in the city's moniker, the Garden City. In Augusta, there's a smorgasboard of vivid colors -- pink, yellow, blue, white, green. Here , it's gray, a cold, depressing gray. Be thankful you live in the South, even when it's 8,000 degrees outside during the summer. Be thankful for the pollen.

As for the game itself, there should be a good atmosphere here when game time rolls around. There are loads of school buses full of children outside the arena. Children make noise, lots of noise. What will this place sound like when Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman goes in for one of his patented slam dunks? Or when jolly giant Garret Siler plays with emotion inside the paint? Or when Daniel "Flea" Dixon runs around, makes a steal, and sets up the Jaguars for a fast-break?

There is a different mood for this Elite Eight. When the Augusta State women went to the Elite Eight in 2004, they shocked everyone by getting there. There's no shock with the Augusta State men being here. There's no betting line for Division II games, but if there were the Jaguars would probably be a slight favorite on paper.

Augusta State enters as the No. 10 team in the nation. Central Oklahoma is No. 21. The Bronchos - I will try to pin down why they spell their nickname different than the Denver Broncos - feature a team that likes to press and play up-tempo. But the Jaguars should have a rather large advantage across the board in athleticism, which means absolutely nothing if they don't play smart.

11:52 a.m.

The national anthem has been sung. Central Oklahoma elected to leave the court. ASU remained on the floor, the players soaking in the atmosphere - the crowd noise, the music.

ASU's pep band is in one end zone, as well as the Jaguar cheerleaders. There's a full section of supporters immediately behind the bench as well as some spillover fans in another section. They may be the loudest fans in the joint.

Fans still are filing into the arena. It may be a little more than half-full when this game starts.

Fun facts:

1) Augusta State is the lone team here making its first Elite Eight appearance.

2) Augusta State is one of only four teams in the Elite Eight to be ranked in the top 25 throughout the entire season. The other three teams? They're all on the other side of the bracket.

3) Central Oklahoma is the lone team in the Elite Eight to have more than one one-point victory (two) in the Division II Tournament. How many times can the Bronchos go to the well?

ASU 7, Central Oklahoma 7, 15:46 until halftime

The Jaguars have come out strong. They look good. Not intimidated. Ben Madgen's about to go the line for 2 free throws. Siler has no fouls. Bowman has one, a charge.

ASU 14, Cent. Oklahoma 14, 11:12 until halftime

The Jaguars are a little out of sync in their offense. They've made just four of 12 attempts from the floor. But the good news: Siler got a breather. He has no fouls. Perimeter game looks OK.

Halftime: Cent. Oklahoma 43, ASU 38

Well it could've been worse, a lot worse. The Bronchos have thrown up 1,000 3-pointers and it seems half of them have gone in. Actually, they are 7-for-21 from the perimeter. The other 15 shots have come inside the arc.

Central Oklahoma led 41-30 with 1:58 remaining before Augusta State rallied. Daniel Dixon drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Madgen added a layup in transition. After a Madgen steal, he swished a 3-pointer from the right corner to trim the deficit to three.

The Bronchos' Lance Harper dunked at the buzzer to give his team a five-point lead.

Good signs for ASU: Siler has zero fouls. Of course, he's also 3-for-8 from the floor. He has to make his shots inside for the Jaguars to have a chance.

Also, Bowman's yet to get on track offensively. He has five points and two fouls.

Madgen leads ASU with 12 points.

If the Jaguars are going to win this game, they've got to box out. Central Oklahoma has 19 rebounds (nine offensive) to Augusta State's 18.

Cent. Oklahoma 51, ASU 44, 15:44 remaining

The Bronchos are still launching shots from all over the place and making them. Bowman hit a six-foot floater in the lane. Maybe that'll get him going. He has seven points.

Siler has 12 with two second-half buckets.

Cent. Oklahoma 61, ASU 48, 11:49 remaining

It's not looking good for the Jaguars. They can't get anything going offensively. To make matters worse, Bowman just went to the bench with four fouls. Siler just picked up his third. It's going to take a miracle at this point.

Central Oklahoma 66, ASU 60, 7:50 remaining

Maybe that miracle's coming to fruition. Demetrius Howard's hit some big buckets. Siler added a three-point play. The Bronchose just turned the ball over. An ASU 3-pointer here would go a long way. Bowman's in the game and going to go as long as he can.

Cent. Oklahoma 77, ASU 72, 3:55 remaining

ASU still playing catch-up. Is there enough time for the Jaguars? Bowman still in the game. He may need to make something happen.

ASU 83, Central Oklahoma 83, End of Regulation

Bowman made 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds left. The Bronchos missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Jaguars overcame a 10-point deficit in the final 4:52 to tie this thing up.

Stay tuned!

Central Oklahoma 93, ASU 91, 58 seconds left in overtime

Bowman just hit a big 3-pointer to pull the Jaguars within two. Central Oklahoma gets the ball after the timeout.

ASU 95, Central Oklahoma 95, End of first overtime

Garret Siler hit 1 of 2 free throws with 22 seconds left. Central Oklahoma didn't get a shot off at the buzzer.

Dixon and Howard have fouled out, but the Big 3 - Bowman, Madgen and Siler are still on the floor.

What a game!

Again, stay tuned!

ASU 103, Central Oklahoma 102, 1:54 left

Caleb Brown converted a three-point play to give the Jaguars a six-point lead. The Bronchos responded with a 3-pointer and a layup.

ASU 106, Central Oklahoma 104. Final! Miracle!

Jaguars advance to the Final Four.

Bowman hit 1 of 2 free throws with 15 seconds left to give the Jaguars a four-point lead. ASU held on to win.

After Steve Smith missed two free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining, Central Oklahoma's Sam Belt grabbed the rebound. He got stripped of the ball and Tambon grabbed it as time expired.

Augusta State vs. Clayton State in the South Atlantic Regional championship

It's about 17 minutes to tipoff. The teams have taken to the court. Fans are still filing into Christenberry Fieldhouse. Right now, it's half-full.

Television stations have interviewed Augusta State coach Dip Metress before the biggest game of his career.

In less than three hours, Augusta State will either cut down the nets or walk off the court disappointed. Emotions will run strong either way.

Jaguar All-American senior forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman is playing his final home game. He's played like a man possessed in the regional. How he comes out may dictate the tone.

Keys for Augusta State: Keep center Garret Siler in the game and make shot from the perimeter. The Jaguars' guards have struggled recently from three-point range. Expect Demetrius Howard and Ben Madgen to find their games tonight.

If the Jaguars score in the 70s, they'll win. If not, they'll struggle. Clayton State plays a bruising, physical game. The Lakers will want to ugly this up early and often.

One Peach Belt Conference team will win tonight and advance next week to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass. That speaks volumes for the league. These fans here dressed in blue are pinning their hopes on Augusta State traveling.

ASU 9, Clayton State 2, 16:04 left until halftime

Good sign for the Jaguars: Ben Madgen and Demetrius Howard each hit 3-pointers. But Siler already has one foul. He's on the bench. Jason Killeen is in.

ASU 14, Clayton State 11, 11:43 remaining

The Lakers are working their way back into the game off five ASU turnovers. Bowman's on the bench after missing his first four shots. Siler's back in the game.

Clayton State 23, ASU 22, 7:48 remainingCl

The Lakers have connected on 10 of their first 16 shots. Siler picked up an offensive foul, his second. He's on the bench.

Clayton State 30, ASU 20, 6:06

The Lakers are pounding the glass with Siler out. ASU just called a timeout. Siler returns.

Clayton State 34, ASU 27, 4:56

Siler just picked up foul No. 3. Luke Tambon replaces him on the floor

Clayton State 34, ASU 32, 3:06

Tambon picked up a charge on Bernard Fields, his second foul. That's huge. Fields has 12 points for the Lakers.

Madgen's scored five in a row to get the ASU fans back in the game.

ASU 42, Clayton State 37, HALFTIME

The Jaguars looked like the No. 10 in the nation over the final three minutes of the half. Tambon picked up another charge. Dixon hit a tough 16-foot shot. Bowman tied the game with two free throws.

Clayton State's Jerome Boyd hit one of two free throws to briefly give the lead back to the Lakers. Madgen responded with a 3-pointer from the right corner. Bowman added another 3-pointer from the top of the key. ASU fans erupted. The Jaguars took a 42-37 lead.

Tracy Williams misfired on a 3-pointer at the end of the half. Augusta State grabbed the rebound. Smith tossed a three-quarter court shot wide right at the buzzer.

ASU 48-40, 17:17 remaining in the game

ASU 54-43, 15:26 remaining

This place is going bonkers! Bowman's scored six in a row to give the Jaguars a double-digit lead. He swished two free throws. Then he added a dunk. He followed with a fast-break layup off a feed from Demetrius Howard.

ASU 56-48, 12:56 remaining

ASU 69-55, 8:54 remaining

ASU 73-62, 6:10 remaining

ASU 75-64, 3:25 remaining

Fans are chanting "A-S-U." A Siler dunk stopped a brief 7-0 run by Clayton State. Another few baskets and the Jaguars can book those plane tickets for Springfield, Mass.

ASU 81-65, 2:05 remaining

Pack your bags! ASU is heading to Springfield, Mass., for the Elite Eight. Bowman just broke free for a reverse two-handed dunk.

ASU is about to record the biggest win in school history.

ASU 89 , Clayton State 72, Final

USC Aiken-Lander quarterfinal game

With 9:25 left in the first half, USC Aiken leads 19-15

The convocation center is packed. Pacer fans want to see if the lone remaining local team can advance. Easier said than done. Lander (10-18) is not scared of No. 5 USC Aiken.

Jeremy Fears has scored nine points so far to lead the Pacers.

With 4:46 left until halftime, USC Aiken leads 27-23

Cody Ballard just drained two free throws for his ninth and 10th points. The game has slowed to a crawl. The Pacers have yet to get into an offensive rhythm.

With 1:59 left until halftime, USCA leads 38-28

Chris Commons scored on a fast-break dunk and later added two free throws to push the lead to 10. Pacers trying to put away the Bearcats before halftime.

With 2:05 left in the game, USCA leads 87-62

Pacers will advance to tournament semifinals at 8 p.m. Saturday at the convocation center.

ASU-Clayton State Peach Belt quarterfinal game

A decent crowd is starting to shuffle into the USC Aiken convocation center for the matchup with No. 10 Augusta State and one of its main rivals, Clayton State. It will be a battle today. It would've been a 30-point walk if UNC Pembroke had upset Clayton State in the first round. Instead, Augusta State will have to earn today's victory.

Jaguar All-American senior forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman, junior center Garret Siler and sophomore guard Ben Madgen just received all-conference plaques from Peach Belt commissioner Dave Brunk. Bowman also received a plaque for winning co-conference player of the year.

Introductions are ongoing. One key for the Jaguars today: keeping Siler out of foul trouble. If Siler can log 30 minutes, ASU will win by at least 10. If he gets in foul trouble, Clayton State has a real chance.

With 4:20 left in first half, ASU leads 29-15

In a very physical contest, Jaguars are not backing down. ASU has scored six points in six minutes since Siler and Bowman went to the bench with two fouls.

Halftime: ASU 34, Clayton State 23

The Jaguars survived the final 10 minutes of the first half thanks to a gutsy performance by their bench. ASU led by 14 when Bowman and Siler went to the bench with two fouls apiece. The Jaguars were able to retain a double-digit lead at halftime, even with Madgen 0-for-6 from the floor. Caleb Brown came off the bench for five points, while Daniel Dixon's added three.

Bowman and Siler are a combined 7-for-10 from the floor for 17 points. With his 11 points, Bowman moved up to third in Peach Belt Conference career scoring with 1,675. He needs 40 more points to move into second place. It won't happen this game, but he could easily move into second if Augusta State can reach the tournament championship game.

Clayton State is not helping itself at the free-throw line, where the Lakers are 4-for-11. Tracy Williams leads Clayton State with 10 points.

With 15:06 left in the game, ASU leads 38-35

Clayton State's opened the second half on a 12-4 run. Tracy Williams converted a rare four-point play. Will Lewis just dunked over Siler.

Bowman and Siler each have picked up their third foul. Referees are calling a tight game after letting the teams play in the first half.

With 13:30 remaining, ASU leads 42-37

Siler just took a pass inside from Dixon and threw down a monsterous, two-handed dunk. Clayton State called time.

About 30 seconds earlier, Dee Howard grabbed Madgen's missed 3-point attempt and put it back in to push ASU's lead to three.

With 7:30 left in the game, ASU trails 50-48

Tracy Williams has put Clayton State on his back. Williams has scored 22 points, including the two go-ahead free throws for the Lakers' first lead.

With 6:37 left in the game, ASU and Clayton State are tied at 50

Siler made a layup to tie the game but missed a free throw. Bowman just blocked Jerome Boyd inside and Steve Smith grabbed the rebound and called timeout.

This game is going to go down to the wire.

With 5:02 left, ASU leads 53-51

Howard just drained a 3-pointer for ASU. Siler picked up his fourth foul on the other end. Ricky Garrett made one of two foul shots. If the Lakers lose, they can point to their free-throw shooting (9-for-18).

With 3:00 remaining, ASU leads 58-51

Clayton State just called timeout. Madgen drained a 3-pointer from the right wing and gave a look of relief after hitting his first shot in 12 attempts.

Madgen later ran down a loose ball at midcourt and went in for the fast-break layup. The Blue Crew in attendance, getting louder by the moment, are starting to sniff a win.

With 1:25 remaining, ASU leads 60-56

The Jaguars aren't out of the woods yet. Clayton State's Will Lewis just scored around Bowman for a layup to cut the ASU lead to four.

With 1:08 left, ASU leads 62-59

After Howard drained two free throws, Michael Sloan knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to pull the Lakers within three.

With 20.2 seconds remaining, ASU trails 63-62

Clayton State's Bernard Fields, an Aiken Tech grad, tied the game with a 3-pointer. Then, Will Lewis hit one of two free throws.

Final: Clayton State 63, ASU 62

Bowman missed two shots from the perimeter in the final eight seconds. ASU off until next week's Division II Tournament.