Neither team led by more than four points over the final 13:45 of regulation and all but three seconds of overtime, but Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team fell to Austin Peay State University, 83-81, on Wednesday at McBrayer Arena.
A quick 7-0 run by EKU erased a seven-point Austin Peay lead midway through the second half. From the 13:45 mark the score was tied seven times and the lead changed on 12 occasions.
The Colonels trailed by four, 68-64, with 1:58 left in the game. However, Eastern strung together another seven straight points. A lay-up by Asante Gist tied it and a jumper from Nick Mayo followed by a free throw by Isaac McGlone put the home team in front by three, 71-68, with 21.1 seconds to play.
Zach Glotta’s three-pointer with four seconds remaining sent the game to overtime.
Eastern Kentucky went scoreless from 2:40 of overtime until hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer. In between, the Governors scored eight straight to win the game. A dunk by Kenny Jones was the final lead change of the game, putting APSU up 79-78. A triple by Gist at the buzzer set the final score.
Gist led EKU with 24 points to go along with five assists. Mayo added 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. McGlone and DeAndre Dishman added 14 points each.
John Murry posted a game-best 27 points for the Governors. Jones finished with a double-double, 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Austin Peay (8-16, 4-6 OVC) shot 54 percent, compared to 46 percent for Eastern Kentucky (10-15, 3-7 OVC). The Governors made 8-of-16 from three-point range for 50 percent. APSU held a 38-29 advantage in rebounds, but committed four more turnovers.
The Colonels will play at UT Martin on Saturday at 7 p.m.
— www.EKUSports.com —
Steve Fohl
Associate Director of EKUSports Communications