KENNESAW, GA (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay men’s basketball team went on the road Friday to take on the Kennesaw State Owls. The Govs cruised through their first game, taking down the Lane College Dragons in a big win earlier this week.
This game was a big test for the Govs, as the Owls won their conference and made the NCAA Tournament just last season. Coming into today, we knew this game would be a nice litmus test for a young Austin Peay team that hasn’t been tested yet.
The game started out great for the Govs, as they got out to an 18-point lead in the first half. The Owls came alive in the second half though, and ultimately pulled out a close, last-second win. Now, let’s dive in and find out what happened.
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Final score: Austin Peay 69, Kennesaw State 71
As mentioned above, the Govs got off to a hot start in this one. The first nine points of the game were scored by the Govs, with Felipe Minzer, Rashaud Marshall, Chuck Love III and Zyree Collins all getting early buckets. The Owls were stuck at three points for over five minutes, and the Govs led by as many as 18 points.
The Govs went cold toward the end of the half, which allowed the Owls to close the gap. At the half, the Govs had a 34-29 lead. Collins led the way with 13 first-half points, while Minzer contributed nine. The Govs never trailed in the first half.
The second half was a much more back-and-forth affair. The Owls were able to finally tie the game at 40 with just over 15 minutes to play. The Govs began to pull away again, taking multiple 10-point leads throughout the second half. The Owls just wouldn’t go away, and they were able to close the gap down the stretch thanks to 12 second-half points from Avery Thomas II.
With just 34 seconds to play, the Owls took their first lead, 69-68, on a Thomas three. The Govs had the ball and were looking to get up a final shot when Collins was fouled. Collins hit one of his free throws to make it a tie game with four seconds to play.
Kennesaw State quickly inbounded and pushed the ball down the court, and Love was called for a questionable foul as Kris Parker put up a three. This meant the game was tied at 69 with less than a second to play, and the Owls were getting three free throws.
Parker hit two of his three throws, making it a 71-69 game. Austin Peay tried a long-distance inbound, but they weren’t able to get a shot off.
Notable stats
Collins led the Govs in scoring once again, finishing with 23 points. The guard also contributed five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while hitting 13 of his 15 free throws.
Love and Minzer were the only other Govs to score double digits. Love had 14 points and two steals, while Minzer had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
As a team, the Govs only shot 35.6% from the field and 26.1% from deep. It’s hard to win when the shots aren’t falling like they did tonight, but it’s important to remember that Kennesaw State is a solid team.
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