Freshman Wendell Green Jr. scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball to an 80-75 road win at Austin Peay on Saturday evening at the Dunn Center.
Green Jr. was 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep in the win. He also grabbed five rebounds. His 30 points are the second-most by any player in the OVC this season.
Junior Brandon Knapper came off the bench to tally 15 points, while fellow junior Tre King had 13 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Michael Moreno contributed eight points, 11 rebounds and four steals.
Green Jr. went 5-of-5 from three-point range in the first half to spark the Colonels. A triple from Moreno gave EKU its largest lead of the game, 42-28, with 2:34 left in the first half.
A pair of free throws by Austin Peay’s Alec Woodard cut the Colonels’ lead to 10 at the break, 42-32.
APSU opened the second half on a 10-2 run and pulled back to within two, 44-42, following a three-point play by Terry Taylor with 16:40 remaining in the game.
Eastern, however, never let the Govs take the lead in the second half. When redshirt freshman Curt Lewis stormed down the lane and dunked it with 8:17 on the clock, the Colonel lead was pushed back out to eight, 67-59.
Austin Peay made one final push, making it a one-point game, 76-75, on a pair of foul shots by Woodard with 21 seconds on the clock.
Knapper, however, converted two clutch free throws for EKU, and Taylor missed a potential game-tying three-pointer on the other end.
Green Jr., appropriately, sank two free throws to ice it with six seconds on the clock.
EKU shot 46 percent (25-of-55) from the field and 50 percent (11-of-22) from three-point range to secure the victory. The Colonels stifled the Govs to 18 percent (4-of-22) shooting from deep.
Woodard led four Givs in double figures with 17 points.
EKU returns home to host Jacksonville State on Thursday, January 7.
— www.EKUSports.com ––
Steve Fohl
Associate Director of EKUSports Communications
