MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) — It’s been four games, but Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team has already been through a season’s worth of intrigue and suspense, the latest in a heart-stopping 80-78 win against Central Connecticut to kick off the island portion of the 2018 Jamaica Classic at the Montego Bay Convention Center.

The Govs evened their record at 2-2 on the season after erasing a nine-point first half deficit, while Central Connecticut falls to 2-2 on its season.

Things did not start promisingly for the Govs, who were 1-for-11 from the floor to start the game. However, Austin Peay settled after the rough start—and the 9-2 hole the Governors found themselves in—and soon had the game within a bucket. What ensued was an up-and-down first half marked by pace and ball control—even though the Governors 37.8 percent mark from the floor was far below Central Connecticut’s 51.7 percent mark, Austin Peay got myriad second-chance opportunities thanks to 10 offensive boards and committed just two turnovers during the game’s first 20 minutes.

A three-minute burst saw the Blue Devils stake their largest lead of the game thanks to a 9-2 run, but the Govs rallied once more, tying the game with just under three minutes to go in the half on a Terry Taylor layup and briefly taking the lead on free-throws from senior Zach Glotta and a Taylor three. However, Central Connecticut’s Deion Bute beat the buzzer with a layup to send the game into halftime tied.

Where Austin Peay was ice cold to start the first half, the Govs came out blazing in the second, hitting six of their first eight shots to take a four-point lead, growing it to nine by the 12-minute media timeout. No Gov can claim total credit for the early barrage, as seven of the eight Govs who saw action scored during the first 8:21 of the half.

Central Connecticut did not go away quietly. As the teams traded buckets in the second half, the Blue Devils began to chip away at the Austin Peay lead, cutting it to two points with 1:17 remaining.

After a missed jumper by Glotta, the Blue Devils held the ball for a long possession that included three second-chance opportunities before senior Steve Harris was able to corral the rebound, forcing Central Connecticut to foul Glotta, who made both. On the ensuing possession, Tyson Batiste hit a three to keep the Blue Devils within a point, but grad transfer Jarrett Givens hit both free-throws when he was fouled in the back court.

Up three with 6.2 seconds left, Austin Peay wisely fouled Tyler Kohl to send him to the line for a 1-and-1; he made the first and then, ball-faking a quick shot to draw people into the lane, was whistled for a lane violation per the NCAA rule book. The Govs were able to run out the clock for the victory.