As the dunks rained down late, so did the chants of "over-rated" from the sellout crowd.

In Augusta State's first "blackout" at Christenberry Fieldhouse, All-American forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman scored 23, center Garret Siler added 19 and the No. 18 Jaguars knocked off No. 7 USC Aiken, 75-59.

A standing-room - only crowd lined the mezzanine for the first top-20 matchup in the teams' rivalry. The 3,023 fans in attendance Monday watched Augusta State avenge its 70-67 loss in Aiken on Nov. 28.

"Every time we have a big game like this, we know we have to perform," said Siler, whose team knocked off its highest-ranked opponent. "When you come to play us here at home, you better bring your 'A' game, because we're going to bring ours. Our fans are going to take us to the next level."

The Jaguars (11-3, 6-1) extended their winning streak to five games and remain unbeaten at home this season. More importantly for Augusta State, the victory pulled it within a half-game of USC Aiken (13-2, 7-1) for the Peach Belt Conference lead.

"I think people forgot about us," said guard Ben Madgen, who scored 11 points. "I think tonight we re asserted ourselves as the best team in the league."

"We had to get this one to get back in the regular-season race," said Augusta State coach Dip Metress, whose Jaguar teams improved to 10-3 against nationally ranked teams. "I was just proud we came out and defended and did everything we're supposed to do."

Before the game, the school unveiled a pair of banners, the first from last year's conference championship and the second from their No. 1 seed in the South Atlantic Regional.

Augusta State dominated USC Aiken around the basket. The Jaguars won the rebounding battle, 42-25, and outscored the Pacers inside the paint, 50-24.

After shooting a season-low 30 percent at USC Aiken, Augusta State shot 59 percent from the field.

Bowman extended his streak of double - figures scoring to 14 games. His steal and fast-break, windmill dunk hammered home Augusta State's biggest win of the season at 68-51 with 3:23 remaining.

He finished shooting 9-for-12 from the field and added nine rebounds.

After playing just 17 minutes in the first matchup, Siler played 27 minutes Monday. This time, he fouled out with 72 seconds left. The damage already was done. The 6-11, 304-pound junior shot 9-for-10 from the field with five rebounds.

"I think Siler and Bowman were the keys to the game tonight," USC Aiken coach Vince Alexander said. "We knew we were going to have to do a good job on them, and we didn't do it."

Seeking their first win in Augusta in six years, the Pacers fell flat. USC Aiken scored their fewest points in a game this season, shooting 33 percent from the field and going 6-for-27 from the perimeter.

Junior forward Chris Commons, the reigning Peach Belt Player of the Week and the league's leading scorer, tallied 36 in a win Saturday night at Columbus State. On Monday, he picked up a pair of quick fouls in the first half and never got on track. He finished with a season-low 8 points on 4-for-11 shooting.

Kingsley Oguchi hit three 3-pointers for a team-high 12 points, while Jeremy Fears added 10 on 2-for-12 shooting.

Augusta State had an unexpected off-day Saturday when its home game with North Georgia got postponed because of inclement weather.

With the added rest, the Jaguars came out fresh. Especially Bowman.

In the first half, Bowman tossed a pass inside to a cutting Smith, setting up a three-point play. Bowman later drowned a 3-pointer from the wing, turning and screaming, "Yeah." Augusta State led 28-16.

He wasn't finished. Bowman added a pair of foul shots, and Job Casimir attempted to respond with a lay-up. Bowman swatted the ball, and the black-clad fans rose in thunder.

At the end of the first half, Bowman scored inside. Smith later drove from the perimeter and cut across the lane and threw in a runner as time expired. Augusta State grabbed its biggest conference halftime lead of the season at 36-19.

USC Aiken trailed at halftime for the first time this season. The Pacers cut the deficit to 10 in the second half but never got closer.

Were you Spotted at the Were you Spotted at the USC Aiken - Augusta State University game?

      
Click here to find out

View and share photos FREE at spotted.augusta.com.