Augusta outlasts Flagler behind strong defense, 56-53
By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Editor in Chief
Augusta earned its first Peach Belt victory of the season on Wednesday night, defeating Flagler 56–53 at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The Jaguars moved to 5–5 (1-0 in PBC play) after a defensive battle highlighted by a dominant early stretch from Luis Nonfon.
Nonfon started the game with a personal six-point run, scoring eight of his 10 first-half points in the opening five minutes, all in the paint. Despite being undersized against Flagler’s center, he controlled the matchup with strength and finesse. He also grabbed 10 rebounds before halftime, securing a double-double in just 20 minutes of play. Elias Palsson added seven points and seven rebounds as the Jaguars took a narrow lead into the break. Both teams struggled offensively, with Augusta shooting 42 percent and going 1-for-9 from three while holding Flagler to 32 percent.
After the game, Coach Dip Metress said that Augusta’s transition offense left a lot on the table.
“One of the things is this — in the first half, they missed 17 shots, so we had 17 opportunities to go to the other end and score,” he said. “We’re running in quicksand, so we’ve got to shore up that part of our transition offense.”
He added that the offense overall still needs work, saying, “It’s partly spacing, it’s partly cutting, it’s partly using screens. So we’ve got a long way to go with that.”
The second half gave Augusta the lift it needed, especially from the bench. TJ Baker brought energy in his 13 minutes on the floor.
“I thought we needed a spark,” Dip said. “He’s our most vocal guy. He’s a leader and a good player. I’m glad he’s back.”
Tobias Prall delivered as well, scoring all nine of his points in the second half and finishing 3-9 from the field. His scoring helped offset a slow offensive night for both teams.
On the defensive end, Augusta stayed disciplined and physical. The Jaguars forced 13 turnovers and held Flagler to five offensive rebounds.
Metress also mentioned that the team defended well, stayed in their gaps, and limited the Saints to just five offensive rebounds. But he also said they need to improve turning defense into offense and still don’t have a clear go-to scorer late in games.
Despite that, he liked the ball movement and overall balance, and said he’d take strong defense and rebounding as a foundation to build from.
Palsson finished with 16 points on 6-11 shooting and eight rebounds, while Nonfon closed with 10 points and 15 boards. Augusta never trailed, relying on defense and timely bench contributions to close out the win.
Rahdir Hicks led the Saints (3-3, 0-1 in PBC play) with 16 points on 7-18 shooting. Melvin Teal Jr. added 10 points for the visitors.
The Jaguars now look ahead to their next conference matchup, a home contest against Georgia Southwestern, aiming to build on their defensive identity while continuing to refine their offensive execution. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.
Note: At the top of the page, TJ Baker (12) rises for th reverse layup, providing a spark off the bench in the second half.
Below, Elias Palsson protects the ball through traffic as he powers his way to a team-high 16 points. (photos by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
