AUGUSTA, Ga - The Emmanuel College men's basketball team took on the reigning Peach Belt Conference Champions Augusta University on Wednesday morning. The Lions were up against a huge Augusta crowd as thousands of local grade schoolers came out in support of the Jaguars for Augusta's annual Education Day. Emmanuel handed Augusta their first Education Day loss in the six years since its inception, defeating the Jaguars 74-71. 

The Lions took control early on, setting the pace in the first half as they led by 10, 35-25, after 20 minutes of play. 

In the second half the momentum shifted in favor of the Jaguars, who made 4 three pointers in a matter of minutes to bring themselves back into the game. The Lions managed to keep a slim lead as the clock wound down, leading 69-67 with a minute left to play. 

A free throw from Augusta brought them within 1 point, but they were forced to foul Emmanuel when the clock reached 17 seconds. Junior Tyonn Stuckey was the Lion sent to the line and he converted both free throws. 

The Lions led 71-68 as Augusta got the ball back. Despite tight defense from the Lions, Miguel Arnold sank a three pointer from the corner with only 4.7 seconds remaining on the game clock, tying the game 71-71. With less than 5 seconds to go, Stuckey brought the ball down the court for Emmanuel. With two jaguars in his face, Stuckey got off a 24 foot three point attempt that banked its way into the basket as the clock hit zero. 

The buzzer beater gave the Lions their fourth win of the season, moving their record to 4-5. 

Tyonn Stuckey and sophomore Isaiah Foster led the way for Emmanuel with 15 points each. Sophomore Michael Wright followed with 14 points. 

The Lions shot 49% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc, both of which fell short of the Jaguars, who were above 50% in both stats. However, the Lions made nearly 94% of free throws, while the Jaguars could only convert 52.6%. Both teams gave up 13 turnovers. 

Next up, the Lions will take on Barton College on Thursday, December 12th. 

For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.