CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — (CLARKSVILLENOW) After rallying back from a 12-point first half deficit, Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team was unable to put away a resilient Tennessee State squad, dropping a 70-66 decision to the Tigers in a Saturday night special at the Dunn Center.
Playing without leading scorer Tahjere McCall, the Tigers were the aggressor early on, leading for nearly the entire first half and stretching the lead to 12 with 5:54 to go. The Governors, led by Josh Robinson, finished the half on an 11-2 run to trail 34-31 at the break.
The Governors carried that momentum into the second half, overtaking Tennessee State and building an 11-point lead with 11:53 to go. But the Tigers followed Austin Peay’s run with a furious rally of their own, tying it with 6:32 to go thanks to a 13-2 run.
John Murry did all he could to stymie the Tigers late run. The senior from Indianapolis—who was the only Governor to hit a shot from the floor over the final 11:50 of regulation—scored 10 points over the final 2:39, including a layup with five seconds left to get within a point. Unfortunately, Tennessee State hit all four free-throws late to seal the victory.
Austin Peay begins the second half of its West Division slate with archrival Murray State, 7 p.m., Saturday, at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky–a rematch of the Jan. 21 Heritage Bank “Battle of the Border” contest.