APSU Men’s Basketball
Carbondale, IL – Rebounding problems led to Austin Peay State University’s undoing, Sunday, afternoon as the Governors incurred their second straight loss.
Southern Illinois outrebounded the Governors, 39-21, including 16 offensive grabs leading to 13 second-chance points, as Austin Peay fell, 72-65, at SIU Arena in first-day play of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
The loss dropped the Governors to 2-2 on the season while SIU improved to 1-2. The Governors next will meet Purdue, 6:00pm, Tuesday, in Mackey Arena for tourney second-round play.
In the loss to SIU, the Governors could not prevent second-chance opportunities and SIU physical inside scoring during key second-half stretches when APSU was in close striking distance. Four times the Governors got the deficit to two points, but each time SIU answered. The final time came with 2:29 left after Tyshwan Edmondson knocked down a jumper.This time the Salukis answered with six of the next seven points, two on layups, as the game was put out reach.
Edmondson led the Governors with a game-high 18 points while Anthony Campbell added 15. Kendal Brown-Surles led SIU with 15 off-the-bench points. Gene Teague, the 6-9, 290-pound center, added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Using a superior inside game, SIU shot 51.8 percent from the floor, while the Govs, relying on perimeter play, shot just 46 percent.