FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) — Austin Peay State University men’s basketball used a huge second-half surge to post a 90-58 win against Bethel in the first-ever college basketball game hosted on the Fort Campbell military installation at Shaw Physical Fitness Center.
It was close—too close for comfort—in the first half. A pesky Bethel defense hounded the ball for much of the half, making life difficult for Tre Ivory and company in the backcourt. However, the Govs would control the interior—senior Averyl Ugba, junior Deyshawn Martin and freshman Richard Henderson combined for five blocks in the first half, limiting Bethel to 37.1 percent shooting over the opening 20 minutes.
The second half was more of the same on the defensive end—Bethel committed 20 second-half turnovers and shot just 31.3 percent in the half—but the Governors started working down low on the offensive end over the final 20 minutes. The Govs got 28 points in the paint during the second half, hitting 14 of their 19 field goals from inside and shooting nearly 60 percent (59.4) in the half.
Still, Bethel hung around early in the second half, even taking a tie game into the first media timeout. But the Govs closed the game on a 40-12 run over the final 13:58 of regulation, led by Martin (eight points), Henderson (seven) and Ugba (six).
Ugba led all scorers with 18 points and was one four Govs with seven or more rebounds. Martin had his finest game as a Gov, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor for 14 points, while Henderson (10 points, eight rebounds), junior Chris Porter-Bunton (nine points, team-high 10 rebounds) and freshman Terry Taylor (eight points, seven boards) each narrowly missed double-double performances.
Photos by Michael Rios, ESPN CLARKSVILLE