Governors lose overtime decision at Lipscomb

APSU Men’s Basketball

Nashville, TN – Missed free throws prevented Austin Peay State University from opening the 2010-11 basketball season at 3-0, Thursday night.

Austin Peay missed four free throws in the final 25 seconds of regulation, allowing Lipscomb to tie the game, and then watched the home team score the first five points of overtime as the Governors fell, 104-101, at Allen Arena in the first meeting between the programs in 48 years.

The loss drops the Governors to 2-1, the same record as Lipscomb.

The Govs next will head to Southern Illinois-Carbondale for a 2:05pm, Sunday contest to begin the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

The Governors appeared to have the contest under control in the final minute but a controversial technical foul on Josh Terry with 48.4 seconds remaing helped change the game’s complexion. After Lipscomb had cut the lead to four points on an Adnan Hodzic layup, the Governors inbounded the ball to Terry, who called timeout as a Bison draped Terry’s arms. As Terry raised his arms to throw the ball to the officials, the Bison player, who was still draped over Terry’s arms, flopped to the floor. Terry was charged with the technical, which also was his fifth personal foul, removing the Governors’ best defender from the floor.

Not only did Lipscomb get to shoot the free throws, cutting the lead to three points, but the Bisons also got the ball. The Govs were able to thwart that possession, forcing a miss with John Fraley grabbing the rebound. Fraley made both free throws to make it a five-point game with 39 seconds left.

Lipscomb cut it to two when Jordan Burgason knocked down a three pointer with 29 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbounds pass Melvin Baker was fouled. He missed both free throws with 25 seconds left. Lipscomb grabbed the rebound.

At this point, Lipscomb elected to go for a three pointer with Josh Slater missing. Anthony Campbell grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 6.9 seconds left. However, Campbell also missed both attempts, allowing Lipscomb one last chance to tie it.

They did. Slater drove to the basket. The Govs got a hand on the ball at one point but Slater was able to recover and lay it in with 0.1 seconds left, sending it to overtime.

As a result, Lipscomb carried the momentum into overtime, scoring the first five points and leading by as much as nine. Tyshwan Edmondson knocked down a pair of three pointers to give APSU home hope but Lipscomb was able to hit 6-of-8 free throws in the extra session to put the contest away.

Hodzic, the nation’s leading returning scorer, led Lipscomb with 33 points, on 12-of-15 shooting from the floor and 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, to go with 16 rebounds as Lipscomb outrebounded the Govs 42-32. Slater added 22 points and Jacob Arnett tossed in 19.

That trio offset the balanced Governors placing six players in double figures, led by Tyshwan Edmondson’s 21 points off the bench. Campbell added 20 while Caleb Brown contributed 16 points, Baker 14, Terry 12 and Fraley 11. The Governors shot 52.2 percent (36 of 69) from the floor but only 65.8 percent (25 of 38) from the free-throw line compared to 75 percent (30 of 40) by Lipscomb.

In a game of attrition, a total of 58 fouls were called with three Governors players (Terry, Baker and Edmondson) fouling out while four Lipscomb players were disqualified.