CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — (ESPN Clarksville) In their first road test in Ohio Valley Conference play, Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team passed with flying colors, soundly defeating Southeast Missouri in a 78-60 affair at the Show Me Center, Thursday, to remain unbeaten in league play.
From the opening tip, a physical contest ensued, with the opening minutes devoted to both teams testing one another in the first of at least two meetings this season. At the 12-minute mark, it was a 10-6 contest with both teams vying for space to create.
Rather than player breaking the game open for the Govs, everyone did a little to open it up. Terry Taylor and Jabari McGhee got good looks to go underneath, which freed up Jarrett Givens to nail the first three of the night at the 9:55 mark to make it 17-11. Givens’ three kicked off a 13-3 run, which he bookended with another three with 6:01 to go to make it 26-11.
In the final minute of the period, with Southeast Missouri threatening to cut the lead to single-digits, McGhee made two plays which might’ve been as dispiriting for the Redhawks as any in the contest. First, with time winding down on the shot clock, he nailed a step-back jumper and then, following an offensive foul, he skied for a putback of a Dayton Gumm miss and tipped it home as time expired, sending Austin Peay into the break with a 37-20 lead.
The second half unfolded the same way many have against the Govs this year. Southeast Missouri would make a run, cutting the lead to 11 or 13 or 14 and each time, Austin Peay roared back to seize the upper hand and leave no doubt who was in charge. With 10 minutes remaining, the Redhawks cut the Austin Peay lead to 13 on a Ledarrius Brewer lay-up, but a Zach Glotta three-pointer stopped that run and an old-fashioned three-point play by Taylor had the Govs back up 19 with just under eight to go.
Southeast Missouri responded with an 8-0 run but again the Govs answered, first via Givens’ third and final three of the night, then on the last of Taylor’s team-high 17 points. The Govs would lead by at least 14 points the rest of the night.
Good defense continues to lead to easy buckets for the Govs, and Thursday was no exception. Austin Peay forced 17 Southeast Missouri turnovers, and while that’s not much more than the 14 the Govs committed, Austin Peay made them count. Austin Peay accrued 22 points off turnover, compared to just nine for Southeast Missouri, including just two in the second half.