CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) —A barrage of second-half three-pointers from Josh Robinson and Zach Glotta gave Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team a late lead against Evansville, but a cold spell in the final minutes ultimately proved to be the Govs undoing in a 77-69 defeat at the Dunn Center.
In a back-and-forth contest that saw seven ties and 12 lead changes, the Governors got the upper hand early, working their way out to a 22-13 lead with 6:57 to go in the first half on the strength of an 11-0 run that included three-pointers from Glotta and junior Tre’ Ivory.
But Evansville would outscore the Govs 23-9 over the final 6:38 of the half to take a 36-31 lead into the break after a physical opening 20 minutes that saw the teams combine for 23 fouls; Evansville was in the bonus for the final 15:35 of the half.
The second half followed a similar pattern; the Govs, using timely shooting from Glotta and Robinson, went on a 24-9 run that not only erased an eight-point Purple Aces lead but gave the Govs a seven-point cushion of their own. Glotta scored 11 of his 14 points during this stretch, including a banked-in three-pointer to give Austin Peay its first lead of the second half.
Up seven with 5:58 remaining after Robinson hit a trio of free-throws, the Govs were held without a bucket for the remainder of the contest and committed six of their 13 turnovers during this stretch. Jaylon Brown (game-high 25 points) and Christian Benzon (18) did the damage late for Evansville, scoring 17 of the Purple Aces final 19 points.