CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay men’s basketball team was back on the court at F&M Bank Arena on Tuesday night, after dropping a close game to Kennesaw State last weekend, to take on the Livingstone College Blue Bears.
Because Livingstone is a D-II program, this game counted as an exhibition for the Blue Bears, but it counted as a non-conference game for the Govs. The Govs got off to a hot start in last week’s home opener against Lane College, scoring the game’s first 11 points.
The start wasn’t as fast in Tuesday night’s game, but the Govs still pulled away for a comfortable victory.
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Final Score: Austin Peay 82, Livingstone 61
Don’t let Livingstone’s status as a D-II school fool you – this team came to play on Tuesday night. The Blue Bears won the opening tip and scored the first points of the game on a jumper from Camerin Horton. It took a few minutes for the Govs to settle in, as they didn’t score their first field goal until almost four minutes had elapsed.
However, after a Cam Ryans jumper around the 16-minute mark, the Govs secured the lead and would never relinquish it. The Blue Bears kept it close for much of the first half, but the Govs eventually pulled out to a 17-point lead and at the half, the Govs were winning 46-31.
In the second half, the Blue Bears came out hot, hitting four three-pointers in the first three minutes. The lead was reduced to just eight points at one point, but the Govs didn’t let it get any closer than that. From that point forward, the Govs defense stepped up in a big way, and star players Zyree Collins and Rashaud Marshall made their presence felt on both ends of the court.
One thing that hurt the Govs was free throw shooting. The team shot a combined 21-37 from the charity stripe. If the team made even 10 more of those free throws, you’d be looking at a 30-point victory instead of a 20-point victory.
Ultimately, the Govs were able to walk away with an 82-61 win, improving to 2-1 overall and 2-0 at home.
APSU standout players
Collins stuffed the stat sheet on Tuesday night, who finished the contest with 14 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. You’ll notice Collins was just one assist away from a triple-double, but he still ended with an impressive double-double. Collins set a new career-high in rebounds, which is impressive considering he’s usually the smallest player on the floor.
Marshall also joined the double-double club on the night, ending with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Collins and Marshall are the first Austin Peay duo to have double-doubles in the same game since the 2020-21 season.
Chuck Love III and Ryans were the other two Govs to score in double digits. Love had 12 points, three rebounds and two steals, while Ryans had 15 points, five rebounds and two steals.
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