Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

Tay Smith
79
Augusta AU 19-11,13-5 Peach Belt
94
Winner Lenoir-Rhyne LRU 27-5,20-4 SAC
Augusta AU
19-11,13-5 Peach Belt
79
Final
94
Lenoir-Rhyne LRU
27-5,20-4 SAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Augusta AU 36 43 79
Lenoir-Rhyne LRU 47 47 94

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joel Krenz, Assistant AD for Media and Communications

Smith and Louis-Jeune lead Bears past Jaguars in first round of NCAA Tournament

COLUMBUS, GA - Coming off the high of winning a conference championship the Bears continue to roll, taking down #6 seeded Augusta 94-79 to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2016. The Bears battled many factors in this game, most notably the time, as the game had to be moved up to 10 a.m. due to weather concerns later tonight. 

Leading the way for LR was Tay Smith and Hantz Louis-Jeune, who combined for 43 points and went 7-10 from behind the arc.

This win was a milestone victory for Lenoir-Rhyne, as their 27 wins is now the most in a single season in school history. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #10 Lenoir-Rhyne 94, Augusta 79
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (27-5, 20-4 SAC), Augusta 19-11 (13-5 PBC)
Location: Columbus, GA | Lumpkin Center

STORY OF THE GAME
  • Augusta started off strong, taking a 17-12 lead on the Bears after seven minutes of play.
  • A Hantz Louis-Jeune three sparked a big 18-4 run from Lenoir-Rhyne, giving them a 30-21 lead with 5:52 left in the half.
  • Back-to-back threes from Tay Smith put Lenoir-Rhyne up 10 with three minutes to play in the half.
  • A late layup from Conrad Luczynski and three free throws from Smith put LR up 47-36 at the break.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne extended their lead to 14 after a Junior Hodnett three just a few minutes into the second half.
  • Just when it looked like Augusta might make a run, Louis-Jeune went off, scoring 13 consecutive points for the Bears to put them up 84-67. 
  • The lead never got below double-figures the rest of the game as the Bears cruised to the 15-point victory.
STATS OF THE MATCH:
  • Tay Smith (23), Hantz Louis-Jeune (20), Conrad Luczynski (13), Ziare Wells (12), and Julian Dozier (10) all finished in double-figures.
  • Lucynski finished with 10 rebounds, giving him his seventh double-double of the season.
  • Wells and Dozier each dished out seven assists.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne shot 32-54 (59.3%) from the field and 11-19 (57.9%) from three.
  • Augusta was 27-53 (50.9%) from the field and just 3-15 (20%) from behind the arc.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
  • This was Lenoir-Rhyne's first NCAA Tournament win since 2016 and their fourth all-time.
  • Smith's 23 points is tied for the second-most all-time in an NCAA Tournament game by a Bear.
  • This was the first time these two teams have ever met.
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will now face the winner of the USC Aiken/Catawba game tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. in the regional semi-finals. 
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors