A rejuvenating 13-day break might’ve been just what the doctor ordered for Austin Peay State University men’s basketball, which picked up its first win in a post-Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearance since 2003 with an 80-66 victory against Sun Belt foe ULM, Thursday, in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The win pushes the Govs (19-14) onward into the CIT, with the Warhawks (16-16) 2017-18 campaign coming to an end.
The Govs raced out to an early lead thanks to a 10-0 run, with senior Averyl Ugba pacing the attack; he hit a pair of early three-pointers en route to a 16-point first half. Putting together his 13th consecutive game in double figures allowed Ugba to do his part to ensure he would play at least one more game in an Austin Peay uniform.
If Ugba was getting the points, it was because his freshman teammate was doing everything in his power to control the glass in the first half. Terry Taylor pulled down 10 first-half rebounds, and had more than the entire ULM squad with less than nine minutes to go in the half; he led a spirited first-half attack on the glass that saw the Govs outrebound the Warhawks by nine over the game’s opening 20 minutes.
The Govs pushed the pace for much of the half, and never more than in its final few seconds, when senior Tre’ Ivory went the length of the court for a scooping layup, sinking the shot and giving the Govs a 41-29 lead at the break.
A curious game of cat-and-mouse ensued in the second half; ULM would threaten to whittle down the lead, getting as close as nine at one point, before Austin Peay would surge comfortably back in front, never leading by more than 16 points. Both teams shot an identical 50.0 percent in the second half, each securing 16 rebounds, with APSU hitting one more three (three to ULM’s two) and the Warhawks one more free-throw (nine to Austin Peay’s eight) over the final 20 minutes.
Eleven Austin Peay turnovers yielded just 12 points for ULM, while the Govs turned 17 Warhawk miscues into 22 points on the other end. This marked the sixth time this season Austin Peay outscored an opponent by 10 or more in points off turnover, its first since Dec. 28 against SIU Edwardsville.
The Govs are now 4-0 all-time in home post-OVC tournament action.
Another home CIT contest is scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, in the Dunn Center, with an opponent to be determined.
(From APSU Athletics)