APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Matt Figger‘s first victory as Austin Peay State University head men’s basketball coach came in convincing fashion.
Figger’s Governor squad throttled Oakland City, 109-50, Wednesday night, with five Austin Peay players scoring in double figures, including a trio of freshmen.
The Govs came out firing and never looked back, pushing the lead to double digits by the 12-minute mark in the first half, but it was the second half that pushed the final score to stratospheric heights.
Over the final 9:55 of regulation, the Governors outscored the Mighty Oaks 38-5, with freshmen Dayton Gumm (nine points) and Richard Henderson (eight) providing the bulk of the late-game offensive burst.
Gumm continued a torrid start to his Austin Peay career, and led a youth movement on a night which flashed the considerable potential of Austin Peay’s precociously talented roster. He led the all scorers with 25 points—marking three straight games the Govs have been led by a freshman—with Henderson (18) and Terry Taylor (13) among the freshman class joining him in double digits. Seniors Averyl Ugba (17 points) and Zach Glotta (14) also reached double figures.
The Difference
One could reasonably point to a number of contributing factors, but in the end Austin Peay’s control of all things post-related won the day. Not only did the Govs outrebound Oakland City by 29 (50-21), but Austin Peay scored an incredible APSU 70 points in the paint.
Notably
The 59-point margin of victory was Austin Peay’s largest since defeating Berea by 55 points (108-53), November 28th, 2012.
Gumm’s 25 points were the most by an Austin Peay freshman since Will Triggs had 25 against Tennessee Tech in 2011.
Taylor (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Ugba (17 points, 11 boards) were the first pair of Austin Peay teammates with a double-double in the same game since January 21st, 2017 (K. Jones, J. Savage).
The Govs had more points in the paint (70), points off turnover (39), second-chance (25), fast break (20) and bench (57) points than in any single game during the 2016-17 season.
After placing three reserves in double figures against the Mighty Oaks last season, Gumm and Henderson (18 points) both reached double figures off the pine in this year’s edition.
The Govs have shot 60.6 percent (86-for-142) in their last two contests against Oakland City and are now 8-0 all-time against the Mighty Oaks.
The last time the Governors procured 50 or more rebounds in a contest also was the December 2015 game against Westminster. Continuing in rebounding stats, the Governors grabbed 21 offensive boards, most in a single game since the November 25th, 2015 contest against Oakland City (23).
Senior Tre’ Ivory‘s eight assists were not only a career-high, they were the most by a Gov since Khalil Davis had nine, December 20th, 2015 at Lipscomb.
With Gumm (twice) and Taylor (once) leading the Govs in scoring during the season’s opening three contests, it marks the first time since at least the turn of the century a freshman has led Austin Peay in scoring in three straight games.
Coaching Quotables with Head Coach Matt Figger
On Oakland City changing defenses to zone early
“We’ve played four in the last nine days since last Tuesday. We prepared so much for Vandy and Virginia, and we knew they weren’t going to play any zone, so we hadn’t worked on zone offense much lately. So that’s on coaching.”
On Dayton Gumm
“He’s just getting confidence. Being a freshman, he’s learning our system and what we need to do. He’s a different level athlete than anybody we have at the guard spot.”
Up Next for APSU Men’s Basketball
After playing three games in six days, the Governors will enjoy a long-awaited break until Sunday’s 2:00pm contest against UNC Asheville in the Dunn Center.
