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HomeSportsAPSU Basketball defeats Bethel 90-58 at Fort Campbell

APSU Basketball defeats Bethel 90-58 at Fort Campbell

APSU Sports Information

APSU Men's BasketballFort Campbell, KY – Austin Peay State University men’s basketball used a huge second-half surge to post a 90-58 win against Bethel in the first-ever college basketball game hosted on the Fort Campbell military installation at Shaw Physical Fitness Center.

It was close—too close for comfort—in the first half.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball junior guard Deyshawn Martin had 14 points in win over Bethel Wednesday. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Basketball junior guard Deyshawn Martin had 14 points in win over Bethel Wednesday. (APSU Sports Information)

A pesky Bethel defense hounded the ball for much of the half, making life difficult for Tre’ Ivory and company in the backcourt.

However, the Govs would control the interior—senior Averyl Ugba, junior Deyshawn Martin and freshman Richard Henderson combined for five blocks in the first half, limiting Bethel to 37.1 percent shooting over the opening 20 minutes.

The second half was more of the same on the defensive end—Bethel committed 20 second-half turnovers and shot just 31.3 percent in the half—but the Governors started working down low on the offensive end over the final 20 minutes. The Govs got 28 points in the paint during the second half, hitting 14 of their 19 field goals from inside and shooting nearly 60 percent (59.4) in the half.

Still, Bethel hung around early in the second half, even taking a tie game into the first media timeout. But the Govs closed the game on a 40-12 run over the final 13:58 of regulation, led by Martin (eight points), Henderson (seven) and Ugba (six).

Ugba led all scorers with 18 points and was one four Govs with seven or more rebounds. Martin had his finest game as a Gov, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor for 14 points, while Henderson (10 points, eight rebounds), junior Chris Porter-Bunton (nine points, team-high 10 rebounds) and freshman Terry Taylor (eight points, seven boards) each narrowly missed double-double performances.

The Difference

The Wildcats’ 20 second-half turnovers turned into 23 Austin Peay points, many on the fast-break—18 of Austin Peay’s 20 fast-break points came in the second half.

Notably

This was the first-ever collegiate basketball contest competed at Fort Campbell.

The victory is the 22nd in a row for the Govs against Bethel, and first since 1969. It also was Austin Peay’s first home victory away from the Dunn Center since it was built in 1975.

With 30 points off turnover, it marks three straight games Austin Peay has turned its opponents miscues into 25 or more points.

Austin Peay recorded 19 steals, most by the Govs since Jan. 29, 2008 against Southeast Missouri. Ivory and freshman Dayton Gumm each had a career-high four thefts.

The last time Austin Peay’s first two victories of a season came by margins of 30 points or more was the 2001-02 season (Arkansas-Monticello, 74-40; Marian, 75-42).

The Governors finished with 52 rebounds as a team, their most in a single game since November 25th, 2015 against Oakland City. Henderson doubled his previous career high by finishing with eight boards,

With Martin and Henderson each reaching double-digits on the scoresheet, it marks the third consecutive game that at least two Austin Peay reserves have reached double figures off the bench.

Porter-Bunton’s 10 rebounds matched his career-high set December 30th, 2015 against Westminster.

Bethel’s 37.1 percent shooting night was the lowest mark by an Austin Peay opponent since Jacksonville State went 20-of-67 (29.9 percent), January 7th, 2016. At the free-throw line, the Wildcats were 9-of-20 (45.0 percent); the last APSU opponent to hit less than half from the charity strip was Tennessee State (January 14th, 2016).

With Ugba’s game-high 18 points, it marked the first time all season a freshman didn’t lead Austin Peay in scoring.

The Govs are averaging 52.7 points in the paint, 31.7 points off turnover and 16.0 fastbreak points over their last three games.

Austin Peay blocked seven shots as a team, its most since a seven-block performance against UT Martin, February 13th, 2016.

Coaching Quotables with Head Coach Matt Figger

(with a guest appearance)

On the experience
“This was an awesome experience for me, personally. Just to be here for this event is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Just riding in on the bus—I’ve been blessed to ride into Madison Square Garden, to ride into the Final Four and the feeling that I got when I came on base was the same feeling I got going into those types of games.”

On closing strong
“I felt like our practices weren’t very good Monday and Tuesday after UNC Asheville, but take no credit away from Bethel; Coach (Jeff) Britt had those guys ready to go. They brought it to us physically and we didn’t respond very well in the first half. In the second half, our guys showed a little mettle and toughness and decided they weren’t going to get pushed around as much and figured out a way to start playing better.”

Col. Derek Thomson on the event
“This meant the world to us. Athletic competition goes hand-in-glove with military combat. We point to athletic competition as a way to hone our fighting edge, and that’s what makes this relationship so strong; we see what Coach Figger is doing with his team and we feed off their aggression. This partnership is great for our soldiers to see this kind of competition live and it feeds that fighting spirit.”

Up Next for APSU Men’s Basketball

Hopefully the Govs don’t load up on turkey tomorrow; Austin Peay plays host to Miami (Ohio) in Sunday matinee action at the Dunn Center, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00pm.

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