CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) Austin Peay State University men’s basketball put five players in double figures but never quite found the final rally in an 86-80 defeat at the hands of Tennessee Tech, Thursday.
The loss snapped a six-game home winning streak for the Govs, dropping Austin Peay to 15-12 (10-5 OVC) on the season, tied with a surging Tennessee State squad that won its seventh in a row tonight against Morehead State. Tennessee Tech snaps a three-game losing streak to improve to 17-11 (9-6).
Momentum swung wildly back and forth during the first half. Austin Peay opened with a 6-0 run; Tennessee Tech countered with a 9-0 stretch. The Govs retook the lead with a 10-2 run; the Golden Eagles responded with a 15-3 stretch of basketball. The Govs got back within a bucket after a 7-2 run.
The late-frame momentum turned once again, as back-to-back threes from Curtis Phillips and Kajon Mack snuffed out Austin Peay’s push for the equalizer. The visitors closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a 36-28 lead into halftime, in a half that saw the Govs hit just 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from the floor.
On the offensive end, the Govs started the second half on a roll, hitting five of their first seven shots from the floor. However, quick foul trouble quickly proved troublesome for an already short bench, and once more the Golden Eagles caught fire, to the tune of a 13-3 run that put the visitors up by double-digits at the midway point of the half.
The Govs attempted to mount a late rally with four minutes left. Down 14, Austin Peay outscored the visitors 14-6 over the final 4:09, with seven of freshman Dayton Gumm’s 16 points coming during the run. The Govs would get within six points but simply ran out of time against Tennessee Tech.
For one of few times this season, Austin Peay was at a sizable disadvantage on the glass, ending up minus-four (35-31) in rebounding margin. It’s the largest negative margin for the Govs in OVC play, tied with the Jan. 20 game at Belmont, and the fourth-largest deficit overall. The Govs are now 0-9 when losing the rebounding battle this season.