CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) Austin Peay State University men’s basketball is someplace it hasn’t been since the 2010-11 season, 3-0 to start Ohio Valley Conference play.
Behind a hot shooting night from outside and its typically stingy defense, the Govs toppled UT Martin, 75-69, before a national audience on CBS Sports Network to remain unbeaten in the league.
The three reigned supreme to start the game, with junior Chris Porter-Bunton opening the contest with two three-pointers and junior Zach Glotta hopping off the pine with one of his own.
As the half progressed, a running theme emerged; the Govs would look ready to break the game open before a couple of quick Skyhawk baskets would tighten the score. That trend ended with a 10-4 APSU run over the final 4:46 of the half, with five points from freshman Terry Taylor, an old-fashioned three-point play for Porter-Bunton and a transition layup from junior Steve Harris fashioning together a 36-25 APSU lead at the break.
Although the Govs would maintain a double-digit lead for much of the second half, a resilient Skyhawk side didn’t go away quietly. After a three from freshman Dayton Gumm put the Govs up 13 with 9:21 remaining, a 15-2 Skyhawk run tied the game at 62 with less than five minutes to go.
UT Martin ended the game hitting five of its last seven attempts, including its last three from the floor. But the Skyhawks couldn’t overcome the late-game heroics of Porter-Bunton, who scored seven of his career-high 16 points over the final 3:22 of regulation, keying a 6-0 run by himself to take the game from one possession to a 70-62 Austin Peay lead; the Skyhawks would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
In toppling the Skyhawks, the Govs displayed some keen ball movement. Austin Peay’s 19 assists were the Govs second-most this season, behind only the Dunn Center-record 31 against Oakland City, Nov. 16, and most against a Division I foe since Feb. 18, 2017 against SIU Edwardsville. Senior Tre’ Ivory finished with six helpers, his seventh game this season with five or more assists, while Porter-Bunton’s seven dimes represented a career-high.
“I was really proud of how our guys played in the first half; they were as sharp and as crisp as we could possibly be. In the second half, being an immature basketball team, we played the score and not how we’re supposed to play and put it on cruise control a little bit. You’ve got to give UT Martin a lot of credit; they’ve played in back-to-back conference title games, and there’s no quit in teams that have played in championship games,” said head coach Matt Figger.