APSU Men’s Basketball saw a 41-point first half catapult the team to its 10th win in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Govs reach this mark for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
APSU (15-11; 10-4 OVC) topped the Panthers out of Eastern Illinois (9-16, 5-9 OVC) on the road 76-69 on Feb. 10, 2018. The Govs’ offense was led by freshman Dayton Gumm, 15 points, and Terry Taylor, 14 points.
The Govs are 13-3 in the 2017-18 season when scoring 70 points or more.
Even with the young players shining, senior Averyl Ugba led the mark at halftime with 10 points, before finishing with 10 points.
Highlights from @AustinPeayMBB's 10th OVC year of the season! The Govs improve to 15-11 overall and 10-4 in the league! We'll see you back in the Dunn Center for TTU with tipoff at 7:30 p.m.!#LetsGoPeay??#BeAGovBeAChampion? pic.twitter.com/7J1nwRja4I
— Austin Peay Govs (@letsgopeay) February 11, 2018
“I thought we played really well in the first half. They made some Hail Mary shots there at the end [of the half],” Head Coach Matt Figger told letsgopeay.com, “We just couldn’t pull away from them; as well as we played, we couldn’t pull away and that was my biggest concern going into halftime.”
The Govs’ strong first half put them in position to record their fourth consecutive victory over Eastern Illinois. The APSU offense found success in beating the Panthers on 9-0 fast-break points.
The Govs’ defense held their opposition from scoring in transition for the third time this season, the other two being Alabama A&M on Dec. 2, and Jacksonville St. on Jan. 13.
APSU’s third win of February saw the team out rebound their opponents 30-28. Taylor led the visiting team in rebounds with eight, five of those being on the offensive end. Taylor now has 105 offensive rebounds on the season, which puts him in the top 25 in the nation for offensive rebounds by a freshman since 2010-11.
Gumm knocked down four 3-pointers, and he joins junior Zach Glotta as the only Gov to record four or more triples in a game this season.
Aiding in the Govs’ offense was a performance that saw a season low eight turnovers. The Govs moved the ball well by accumulating 17 assists in the clash. Senior Tre’ Ivory led the team with seven.
Junior Chris Porter-Bunton buried a 3-pointer with 8:20 on the clock before the Panthers battled back with a 12-4 run. EIU found themselves in a one-possession dual with 3:37 to play.
Porter-Bunton countered the Panthers run with five unanswered points before APSU’s defense sealed the second consecutive sweep over Eastern Illinois.
The Govs return to action Thursday, Feb. 15 against Tennessee Tech from the Dunn Center.
