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Governors win at the wire to stay unbeaten




Austin Peay junior Terry Taylor (right) scored a game-high 16 points against EIU on Saturday, Feb. 1.ROBERT SMITH/APSU SPORTS INFORMATION

Austin Peay junior Terry Taylor (right) scored a game-high 16 points against EIU on Saturday, Feb. 1.ROBERT SMITH/APSU SPORTS INFORMATION

After four double-digit victories in a span of five games, the Austin Peay State Governors have reminded everyone that they are still, in fact, human beings.

That reminder came Saturday in the form of a down-to-the-wire 68-64 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers. It even required a second-half comeback.

Eastern Illinois held a 38-31 advantage at halftime. The Governors trailed for all but 3:40 of the contest and even found themselves behind with less than two minutes to go.

“The coaches got on us, and they had to humble us a little bit,” said Terry Taylor. “Our team, we don’t take the criticism bad. We take it as a good. They’re trying to challenge us, and they want what’s good for us. We took it and came out and played as a team (in the second half).”

Jordyn Adams, who had a rare off-night from the field, got one of his five buckets with a mid-range pullup jumper to tie the game at 64 with just over one minute remaining. That score held until the final 10 seconds when Eli Abaev, who scored the Govs’ first points of the game but none since, made a contested layup seconds before the shot clock expired.

Antwuan Butler came up with a steal on the other end with three seconds left but still had free throws to make. Up two, he missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Taylor was there for a game-sealing tip-in. The Governors ended the game on an 8-0 run.

“We haven’t been in that situation in a while,” said APSU coach Matt Figger. “We were in that situation kind of similar to Jacksonville State where we got behind, we led for three minutes of the game and our guys didn’t quit. That speaks volumes to their character.”

Taylor led APSU with 16 points while Adams, Butler and Paez all reached double digits as well.

Figger noted that he felt lucky to be down by just seven at halftime. EIU shot 61.5 percent in the first 20 minutes whereas the Govs sat at 48 percent. He attributes their ability to keep it close to their collective toughness.

That’s why the Governors are now 10-0 in the OVC.

Eastern Illinois entered the contest having won four of its last five games. The one loss was a three-point defeat at Murray State that went down to the final second.

The Governors now face a difficult two-game Nashville trip against a pair of familiar foes. Theyl visit the Tennessee State Tigers on Thursday, whom the Govs defeated 99-74 in Clarksville on Jan. 23. That game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

A rematch with the Belmont Bruins looms on Saturday at 5 p.m. Austin Peay beat Belmont for the first time in a regular season game since the Bruins joined the OVC on Jan. 25, 86-78. 

BOX SCORE

Austin Peay (68): Terry Taylor 16, Jordyn Adams 13, Antwuan Butler 12, Carlos Paez 11, Evan Hinson 8, Eli Abaev 4, Sita Conteh 4.

Eastern Illinois (64): Mack Smith 13, JaQualis Matlock 10, Shareef Smith 10, Marvin Johnson 10, Josiah Wallace 7, George Dixon 6, Jordan Skipper-Brown 6, Kashawn Charles 2.

 

 

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