Clarksville, TN – For the seventh time this season, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team held its opponent to under 60 points as the Govs defeated Eastern Illinois, 62-54 for their third straight victory Monday evening inside the Winfield Dunn Center.
It was a scorching start for the Govs, who shot 46.9 percent in the first half and knocked down seven threes for an 18-point halftime lead. The 18-point advantage was the largest lead at half this season for Austin Peay State University.
Leading the way for Austin Peay State University was freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett, tallying his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Hutchins-Everett was 3-of-10 from the field against the Panthers and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. It was the freshman center’s first double-double since Feb. 7 against Belmont.
Junior Carlos Paez led the APSU Govs in scoring with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field with three from long distance. It’s the second time this season Paez has led the Govs in scoring and the eighth game this season in double figures. Paez also had five rebounds to go along with five assists and four steals in 26 minutes.
Off the bench, APSU got a key contribution from junior Cameron Copeland with nine points. Copeland was 4-of-9 from the field while also tallying four rebounds.
Behind Copeland was redshirt senior Tariq Silver with seven points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field. Junior Alec Woodard recorded eight points in 20 minutes of play on 3-of-8 shooting from the field. Woodard also tallied four rebounds with three assists and one steal.
As a team, the Govs shot 36.2 percent from the field and was 9-of-32 from long distance. APSU was 11-of-13 from the free-throw line compared to EIU going 24-of-31 from the charity stripe.
The APSU Govs outrebounded the Panthers, 34-31 with APSU earning an 11-4 advantage on the offensive glass. Defensively the Govs forced 18 EIU turnovers, scoring 19 points off of Panther mistakes.
How It Happened
First Half
Austin Peay State University breaks the Eastern Illinois press as Paez knocks down a three-pointer to get the Govs on the board.
APSU with three straight three-pointers and take a 10-2 lead at the 16:32 mark.
Govs on a 10-0 run as EIU goes on a scoring drought of over three minutes
Govs force EIU to commit four turnovers in the first four minutes.
Stone-Carrawell with four straight points as the Govs widen their lead to double digits at the 14:57 mark.
Silver knocks down his first three of the night and APSU leads 19-6 at the 13-minute mark.
Eastern Illinois has made just one of its last seven field goals.
Austin Peay makes three straight field goals highlighted by a three from Paez and the Govs have a 22-9 lead with 11:46 to play.
Hutchins-Everett knocks down a three-pointer to highlight a 10-0 run for the Govs and grab a 29-9 lead at the 9:30 mark.
Austin Peay State University during the run has made six straight field goals.
Eastern Illinois held without a field goal for over four minutes as the Govs have a 29-11 advantage with 8:15 remaining.
Govs held scoreless for over three minutes as APSU leads 33-17 with 4:10 left.
Austin Peay makes just two of its next 11 field goals as EIU trims the Govs lead down to 38-20 at the two-minute mark of the first half.
Eastern Illinois held scoreless the final 2:01 of the first half.
Halftime: Austin Peay 40, Eastern Illinois 22
Second Half
Woodard connects on his second three of the game and the Govs extend their lead to 45-25 with 17:45 remaining.
The APSU Govs start the second half 2-of-7 from the field as the Panthers cut the APSU lead down to 47-32 with 15:10 left.
EIU embarks on a 9-0 run, making four straight field goals to cut the Govs lead down to 11 at the 13-minute mark.
Austin Peay State University missed four straight field goals and recorded three turnovers during a four-minute stretch.
Each team goes scoreless from the field for over three-minutes as Austin Peay State University holds on to a 49-37 lead with 8:44 left to play.
EIU with a 12-2 run over the last eight minutes as the Panthers cut the Govs lead down to 10 at the eight-minute mark.
Austin Peay State University has made just one of its last 14 field goals as Eastern Illinois trims the Govs lead down to single digits with 6:33 remaining.
Walker with a tip-in dunk to end the scoreless drought for the APSU Govs and regain a double-digit lead with five minutes left.
Austin Peay State University leads 53-47 at the 1:54 mark of the second half despite making just one of its last 14 field goals.
The Govs on a four-minute scoring drought.
Eastern Illinois on a two-minute scoring drought.
The Panthers convert an and-one and cut the APSU lead to 55-50 with 1:30 remaining.
Paez knocks down a three-pointer with 1:07 left to extend the Govs lead back to eight and end the scoreless streak.
Paez with five of the next seven points for Austin Peay State University to give the Govs a double-digit lead with 12.9 seconds left.
Final: Austin Peay 62, Eastern Illinois 54
APSU Notables
The Austin Peay State University 18-point halftime lead was the largest lead at the half this season.
The Govs are 21-6 against Eastern Illinois inside the Winfield Dunn Center.
For the ninth time in the last 11 meetings, APSU and EIU have been decided by single digits.
It’s the first win on Valentine’s Day for APSU since 2013.
The win secured the Govs seventh straight season with double-digit wins.
APSU has its first three-game win streak since winning three straight from January 30th to February 4th last season.
Since the 2016-17 campaign, Austin Peay State University is 36-17 in home OVC contests.
Paez led the APSU Govs with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
It’s the second time this season Paez has led the Govs in scoring.
It’s the eighth game in double figures for Paez this season and 29th of his career.
Hutchins-Everett registered his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
It’s the first double-double for Hutchins-Everett since February 7th vs. Belmont.
Tickets
Purchase single-game tickets or the all-new Family Four Pack presented by The City Forum. Receive four tickets to both a men’s and women’s basketball game along with four attraction passes at The City Forum. Packages start at just $22.00 and can be purchased by visiting letsgopeay.com/buytickets using the Promo Code: FAM4 or contacting the Govs Ticket Office at 931.221.PEAY (7329).
Follow The APSU Govs
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Next Up For APSU Men’s Basketball
After its three-game homestand, the Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team sets its sights towards a showdown with rival No. 21 Murray State, Thursday, February 17th on ESPNU. The Govs then host Tennessee Tech, Saturday, February 19th in the final home game of the regular season.
Box Score
Eastern Illinois 54, Austin Peay 62
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
| Eastern Illinois | 22 | 32 | 54 |
| Austin Peay | 40 | 22 | 62 |
