Youngstown, OH – Travis Betran scored 24 points, including the go-ahead free throw, and Zavion Williams added 20, including the game-sealing jumper with 15 seconds left, as Austin Peay State University rallied from a late six-point deficit to defeat Youngstown State, 88-86, Saturday night in the Beeghly Center.
The victory improved the Govs to 4-3 on the season.It also represented their first road victory. Last season’s initial Govs road win didn’t come until February 14th, 2013.
Youngstown State, meanwhile, fell to 6-3, despite the 32-point, 6-steal and 4-assist effort by Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Kendrick Perry.
In a frenetic-paced contest that saw 16 ties and 24 lead changes, including 16 in the second half, it appeared Youngstown State had weathered the visitors’ onslaught. With the game tied 76 all, Perry hit a three pointer with 6:20 left. After a Govs miss, another Perry three pointer gave YSU the lead, 82-76, with 5:59 left. It forced a Governors timeout.
Betran stopped the Penguin surge with a pair of free throws, but Perry pushed it out to five with his own free throw. But the Govs focused on getting the ball inside. First it was Will Triggs muscling inside for a bucket and then Chris Horton on a pass from Williams cut the deficit to one, 85-84, with 2:48 left.
But Youngstown freshman Marcus Keene responded with a short jumper to put it back to three. Damarius Smith then answered with just his third field goal—all in the second half—to again make it a one-point contest.
The Govs’ defense, which struggled in the first half before improving markedly in the second half, forced Marcus Keene to miss a long three with 1:30 left. Triggs grabbed the rebound. The Govs called timeout and on the ensuing inbounds play, Betran got the ball inside the free-throw line and pump faked, getting fouled by Perry with 1:12 remaining.
The Govs’ senior guard, who struggled through a scoreless performance against Montana State, tied the game at 85 with his first free throw and then gave APSU the lead with the second. Perry then drove the lane but somehow saw his layup roll out. Triggs snared the rebound with 49 seconds left.
YSU elected not to call timeout but this time the Govs defense found Perry deep on the left wing. He missed the 25 footer. But YSU was able to snatch the rebound. The Penguins this time called timeout with 5.6 seconds left with the hope of getting the ball into Perry’s hands once final time.
YSU was able to get it inbounds to Perry, but near midcourt. The Govs’ staff had been decided to foul Perry without letting him attempt a three. That occurred with 3.9 seconds left.
Perry sank the first free throw, but intentionally missed the second. With the ball being batted around, the Govs knocked it out of bounds opposite the Penguin bench with 2.2 seconds left. The Govs would not left Perry touch the ball and Keene’s desperation three at the buzzer came up short.
In breaking his scoring slump, Betran was 3-of-6 from three-point range while also going 7-of-7 at the free-throw line.
Williams was 8-of-11 from the field in scoring 20 points for a second straight outing. Chris Horton again was a force inside, scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking four shots. It was Horton’s third double-double this season and 10th of his career.
As important as Horton, Williams and Betran were, point guard Damarius Smith may have been even more key to the victory. Although he had just six points, he dished out 10 assists, the most by a Govs since Caleb Brown had 10 against Chattanooga, January 3rd, 2011.
The Govs finished the night shooting 58.3 percent (35 of 60) and out-rébounded Youngstown State, 31-28. After allowing YSU to shoot 52 percent in the first half, the Govs held the Penguins to just 12 of 30 (40 percent) in the final half.
Box Score
Austin Peay vs Youngstown State
November 30th, 2013 | 7:05pm | Youngstown, OH | Beeghly Center
Austin Peay 88
Total | 3-point | Rebounds | ||||||||||||
## | Player | p | fgm-fga | fgm-fga | ftm-fta | off-def | tot | pf | tp | a | to | blk | stl | min |
05 | HORTON, Chris | f | 8-11 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 3-7 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 30 |
10 | TRIGGS, Will | f | 4-8 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 1-5 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 |
24 | DYSON, Ed | f | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
04 | BETRAN, Travis | g | 7-17 | 3-6 | 7-7 | 0-3 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 38 |
22 | SMITH, Damarius | g | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 35 |
01 | GARMON, Fred | – | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
02 | WILLIAMS, Zavion | – | 8-11 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 |
15 | FREEMAN, Chris | – | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
20 | ARENTSEN, Cory | – | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
21 | HERRING, Preston | – | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
23 | MBOUP, Serigne | – | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TM | TEAM | – | – | – | – | 2-1 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Totals………….. | – | 35-60 | 4-10 | 14-20 | 9-22 | 31 | 20 | 88 | 20 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 200 | |
58.3% | 40.0% | 70.0% | ||||||||||||
Team summary: | FG | 3FG | FT | |||||||||||
1st Half: | 18-28 | 3-6 | 7-10 | |||||||||||
64.3% | 50.0% | 70.0% | ||||||||||||
2nd Half: | 17-32 | 1-4 | 7-10 | |||||||||||
53.1% | 25.0% | 70.0% |
Youngstown State 86
Total | 3-point | Rebounds | ||||||||||||
## | Player | p | fgm-fga | fgm-fga | ftm-fta | off-def | tot | pf | tp | a | to | blk | stl | min |
05 | BELIN, Kamren | f | 5-11 | 2-5 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 28 |
33 | WEBER, Ryan | f | 1-3 | 0-1 | 7-7 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 29 |
20 | HAIN, Bobby | c | 5-7 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 2-5 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 31 |
03 | PERRY, Kendrick | g | 8-17 | 3-9 | 13-16 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 40 |
10 | KEENE, Marcus | g | 4-14 | 2-9 | 2-2 | 0-5 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39 |
01 | PLUMMER, Jalon | – | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
02 | STEWARD, Kyle | – | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
04 | AMIKER, Shawn | – | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
14 | CHOJNACKI, Josh | – | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
34 | PODOLSKY, Mike | – | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
TM | TEAM | – | – | – | – | 2-0 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Totals………….. | – | 27-59 | 8-26 | 24-30 | 9-19 | 28 | 19 | 86 | 19 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 200 | |
45.8% | 30.8% | 80.0% | ||||||||||||
Team summary: | FG | 3FG | FT | |||||||||||
1st Half: | 15-29 | 5-11 | 10-11 | |||||||||||
51.7% | 45.5% | 90.9% | ||||||||||||
2nd Half: | 12-30 | 3-15 | 14-19 | |||||||||||
40.0% | 20.0% | 73.7% |
Score by Periods | 1st | 2nd | Total | |
Austin Peay | 46 | 42 | 88 | Record: (4-3) |
Youngstown State | 45 | 41 | 86 | Record: (6-3) |
Officials: Steve Divine, James Hicks, Kevin DriverTechnical fouls: Austin Peay-None. Youngstown State-None.
Attendance: 1460 |