EVANSVILLE, Ind. — (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team had a tough time against Belmont’s Dylan Windler, and ultimately it led to the Governors departure from the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, with the Govs falling 83-67 at the Ford Center, Friday.

Barring a (much hoped-for and probably well-deserved) postseason bid, the Governors season ends at 22-11. Belmont marches on into Saturday’s final at 26-4 and will face the winner between Murray State and Jacksonville State.

The first-half began inauspiciously for both sides; neither shot as efficiently as their season trends would suggest, and Austin Peay’s early-game rebounding ability helped the Govs get second and third chances at a time when they needed them desperately.

Twice, Belmont led by five and twice, the Govs erased those deficits. Following a Windler three at the 14:50 mark, Terry Taylor collected an offensive board and laid it up to kick off a 14-6 run that saw the Govs take their first lead of the contest. Belmont re-established its lead with 4:15 to play in the half, but the Govs closed on a 13-5 run to take a 43-40 lead into halftime.

The early moments in the second half saw the Govs tasked with fending off Belmont without their heart and soul after senior Chris Porter-Bunton was charged with his third foul on the half’s first possession. Antwuan Butler made a couple of key buckets in the paint to keep the Govs up in the early moments.

The problem in the second half was Windler. Whatever the Govs did against him, he countered. If he was doubled on the block, he stepped out. If he was marked on the perimeter, he drove. And he had a knack for finding space to tip home a miss or grab a board and reset the offense for the Bruins.

The turning point came early in the half. That’s when Windler keyed a 23-11 run during which time he scored 10 points and hauled in eight rebounds in just over eight minutes of play, turning two-point Austin Peay lead into a 10-point deficit.

The Govs cut it to eight with 4:41 to play on a Porter-Bunton miss, but Kevin McClain answered immediately with a three on the other end; the Govs never trailed by less than double-digits for the rest of the way.