CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri — (CLARKSVILLENOW) The conclusion to the 2016-17 season came earlier Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team would’ve liked it to, but the Governors closed out strong in an 88-79 victory against Southeast Missouri that Austin Peay controlled for much of the contest.
A thunderous Jared Savage dunk got the Govs going early and Austin Peay would lead for much of the first half thanks largely to John Murry (17 points) and nine apiece from Savage and Kenny Jones. However, a 13-point Austin Peay lead with 3:59 to go shrank to a single point at the break following a 17-5 Southeast Missouri run.
Southeast Missouri would take an early lead in the second half, but a 19-8 Austin Peay propelled Austin Peay to an eight-point lead with less than 13 minutes remaining. Southeast Missouri would tie it up and briefly take the lead on an Antonius Cleveland jumper with 6:17 remaining, but the Govs would close out the game on a 17-7 tear highlighted by seven points from Murry and clutch three-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Savage and Josh Robinson. Those threes would take it from a one-possession game to an eight-point APSU lead at the 3:47 mark—Southeast Missouri would not get within a possession the rest of the way.
On a day that saw Austin Peay outrebounded by five and go minus-six in turnover ratio, the Governors were able to hold Southeast Missouri—who came into the contest hitting 49.0 percent from the floor in league play—to 37.5 percent; although Trey Kellum, Antonius Cleveland and Denzel Mahoney each scored 20 for the Redhawks, the other six players to see the court for Southeast Missouri combined to go 9-for-34 (23.5 percent) from the field.