AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Riding the momentum of a seven-game winning streak, Augusta State is ranked third in the first South Atlantic Region poll of the 2006-07 regular season, released Thursday morning by the NCAA.

The Jaguars, currently 15-3 overall and 7-0 in Peach Belt Conference play, notched their most lopsided win of the season Wednesday with a 76-45 victory over Georgia College & State. The victory equaled the 1977-78 squad for the second-best start to a season in school history. Only the 1969-70 edition of the Jaguars, coached by current PBC Commissioner Marvin Vanover, had a better record through 18 games (17-1). That unit finished the year with a 27-3 record, the most wins in school history.

“We thought we’d be in the mix somewhere in the region rankings, and to be third says a lot about our schedule,” said head coach Dip Metress, in his third year at the helm of the Jaguar program. “We’ve played some good teams and we’ve been fortunate enough to play well against them. It’s nice to be recognized, but we won’t get caught up too much in all the rankings. We’ve got a long way to go and a lot can happen the last five weeks of the regular season.”

Junior forward Tyrekus “AJ” Bowman continues to lead the Jaguars and the PBC in scoring at 20.6 ppg. The Jags lead the league in six offensive categories, including scoring offense, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.

ASU took sole possession of first place in the Peach Belt’s South Division with its victory over GCSU and Clayton State’s 63-58 loss at Armstrong Atlantic State on Wednesday night.

The Jags travel to Florence, S.C., on Sat., Jan. 27 to take on Francis Marion in a PBC doubleheader beginning with the women’s contest at 5:30 p.m.