Fittingly, Ben Madgen held the ball as the clock struck zero with the Blue Crew chanting "A-S-U."

One year after getting his game-winning 3-point attempt blocked at the buzzer by Wingate in the region semifinals, Madgen stood at midcourt with the game well in hand.

Augusta State All-American senior forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman matched a career-high with 33 points Sunday night, and the Jaguars went on a late 11-0 run to advance to the Division II Tournament Sweet Sixteen with a 78-65 over Wingate at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

"Obviously, it was devastating last year," Madgen said of Augusta State's one-point loss to Wingate. "I'm just glad we were up by double digits at the end. We played well the whole game so it wouldn't have to come down to the final moment."

For the first time in school history, the 10th-ranked Jaguars (24-6) advance to the South Atlantic Regional final. Augusta State will play host to Clayton State at 7 p.m. Tuesday for a trip to the Elite Eight.

"After we lost that game last year, everything we've done from postseason workouts to conditioning to scheduling was based on getting this game Tuesday," Jaguars coach Dip Metress said. "... We don't care who we play. We could play the Rockets for all we care."

One more victory and Augusta State can cut down the nets on its home floor for the first time. One more victory and the Jaguars will travel to Springfield, Mass., needing three additional wins for a national title.

"I've done accomplished a lot of things in my four-year career," Bowman said. "This is something I haven't done."

Bowman, who scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half, played his best game of the season against Wingate. He shot 14-for-23 from the field with four 3-pointers. Bowman added a game-high 11 boards for his second double-double in as many nights. He also moved into second on the school's and the Peach Belt's all-time scoring list.

"Bowman is just a beast," Wingate senior forward Bryan Grier said. "He wanted it, and he went and got it."

Bowman drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 8:54 remaining. Twenty-five seconds later, he poured in another 3-pointer from the top of the key. Augusta State led 59-55.

Later, Madgen scored five points in a row to extend the Augusta State lead to 11. Then Bowman finished off the Bulldogs (24-7), the defending regional champions.

Demetrius Howard grabbed a defensive rebound and threw it the length of the court to Bowman for a fast-break dunk. Then, Bowman snatched the ball away from South Atlantic Region co-Player of the Year Sean Barnette at midcourt.

Bowman broke free for a two-handed dunk, sending Augusta State fans into pandemonium. The Jaguars led 74-59 with 3:27 remaining.

"I knew they wanted to get it to their playmaker, so I just jumped it," Bowman said. "I was just able to go in there and dunk. I was just happy I made it."

Metress rolled the dice in the first half, re-inserting center Garret Siler back into the game with two fouls with 11:55 left until halftime.

His move paid off. With Wingate's Grier, the Division II career record holder for blocked shots, on the bench with two fouls, Siler dominated. Upon his return, Siler scored nine of his 19 points to help Augusta State overcome a 10-point first-half deficit.

"We put him back in and told him to play his game," Metress said. "He's grown up a lot. We feel confident playing him with two fouls. We needed an inside presence, and he did a great job."

Luke Tambon and Jason Killeen provided key minutes in the paint, especially in the first half, in Siler's absence. Howard, who shot 0-for-9 from the floor with seven missed 3-pointers, recorded career highs with 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Madgen, after two poor shooting nights, got back in rhythm with 21 points, six boards and five assists.

Barnette led Wingate with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Grier, who posted 14 points and seven points, failed to record a block for just the second time this season.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.