Greg Wilson called it one of the most disheartening games he's ever coached at Augusta State.
The Jaguars blew a 16-point second-half lead and fell to Benedict, 61-59, on Friday at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Augusta State led 50-34 with 12:25 remaining but made just four field goals the rest of the game, including two baskets in the final 16 seconds.
"Two steps forward, two steps back," Wilson said. "It's disappointing, but it's also a great opportunity to learn."
Augusta State seemed to turn the corner after wins over Claflin and Paine two weeks ago. But the Jaguars fell to 5-6 after shooting just 25 percent in the second half.
It was a dramatic turn of events after they played arguably their best ball of the season in the first half. The Jaguars appeared to be cruising along, as Lauren DeCoud opened the second half with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 13. Kacy Thompson later added two free throws and Julie Robbins added another to give Augusta State a 16-point advantage.
"We were executing absolutely beautifully the first 25 minutes," Wilson said. "All of a sudden they made a tiny, little run, and we went nuts."
Benedict, tied for the lead in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, managed to keep cool under assistant coach Cedrick Simpson, who led the team while head coach Felecia Jenkins stayed home with a sick child.
"I told my assistant if we could cut it down to 10 with eight minutes, we're going to win," Simpson said. "The girls just played hard and kept fighting and fighting."
The Tigers (6-1) did what Simpson asked, pulling within 7 just under the 8-minute mark. Then Aja Trotter knocked down consecutive 3-pointers, and Lutesia Davis added a layup to cap a 17-0 run for a 52-51 Benedict lead.
Trotter, who led Benedict with 16 points, converted four free throw attempts in the final 25 seconds to give her team a late five-point lead. DeCoud hit another 3-pointer for Augusta State, but it wasn't enough.
DeCoud scored a season-high 15 to lead Augusta State. Top scorer Tamala Turner posted 11 rebounds with seven points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Augusta State jumps back into Peach Belt play Wednesday against Clayton State after playing three non-conference contests. Wilson said he hopes his team will correct its faults after watching the game film.
"You want a game like this to test you," he said. "You want it to be close. You want it to be Peach Belt-worthy. And they've got some great individual talent."
Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.
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