CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — (ESPN Clarksville) Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team dominated in a convincing 80-45 victory against SIU Edwardsville in the Dunn Center.
The 35-point margin of victory was Austin Peay’s (17-7, 9-2 Ohio Valley Conference) largest against a league foe since 2007 and equaled the largest against any Division I opponent under head coach Matt Figger. SIU Edwardsville (8-15, 4-7) dropped its ninth consecutive game to the Govs.
From the outset, the Govs did not seem interested in allowing SIU Edwardsville to hang around. Over the first 11 minutes and change, the Govs built a 30-5 lead thanks largely to the efforts of Terry Taylor, who scored 11 of Austin Peay’s first 15 points, including a trio of three-pointers to put the Governors firmly in control from the opening tip.
Where the Governors couldn’t miss, the polar opposite was true for the visitors: SIU Edwardsville could not buy a bucket for most of the first half. The Cougars missed 15 of their first 17 shots, and when they weren’t missing shots, they were committing turnovers (six in the first 12 minutes of play). Making matters worse, even free-throw shooting deserted them; the Cougars hit just two of their first six attempts at the charity stripe.
Late in the half, SIU Edwardsville made a late run but barely made a dent in the 30-point lead the Governors had built for themselves, and Austin Peay entered halftime with a commanding 42-18 lead.
The Govs weren’t as scorched-earth hot from the field to start the second half—Austin Peay missed its first five shots—but the defense was more than capable of holding the fort until the shots began to fall. And fall they did; after the brief cold spell to start the half, the Govs hit seven of their next nine shots to force a Cougar timeout.
From there, the Govs cruised. The lead never dipped below 30 points and Figger was able to rest his starters and give reserves such as Isaiah Hart (career-high 11 points) extended minutes.
Austin Peay’s ninth straight win against the Cougars is the Governors longest active streak against a league foe and longest against any OVC opponent since an 11-game streak against Jacksonville State (Jan. 4, 2007-Jan. 14, 2012).
SIU Edwardsville missed its first six three-pointers and hit just 2-of-13 for the game. After shutting out Jacksonville State from deep and holding the Cougars without a make until deep into the second half, the Governors went 70 minutes of game action between opponent three-pointers. That probably was not ultimately the difference in a 35-point game, but it will do.
Now 2-0 on the season against the Cougars, Austin Peay looks to avenge an earlier loss against Eastern Illinois when the Panthers come to Clarksville for the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader; the women’s contest is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff, with the men to follow.