SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas?Derek Wright sparked an Austin Peay late-game surge as the Governors defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 67-57, in South Padre Island Invitational action, Friday, played at the South Padre Island Convention Center.
Wright, who was credited with only two second-half steals (five for the game), got his hands on several Eagles passes or deflected them to teammates as APSU went on an 8-0 run from the 6:15 mark 3:18 to push the lead to an insurmountable 13-point lead. Wright, the senior point guard, also had a game-high six assists in shaking off a recent slump.
Drake Reed led the Govs with 21 points and eight rebounds while Kyle Duncan, playing his season's finest contest, had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Wes Channels added 11 and Fernandez Lockett scored 10.
APSU is now 2-2 on the season, 1-2 in the South Padre Island Invitational this season. In fact, the Governors, in two South Padre events, have yet to lose at the Convention Center. The Govs will play Valparaiso, 2:30 p.m., Saturday, in their final contest.
Austin Peay, who has gotten off to slow starts in its two losses, led for much of the first half and held a 33-19 advantage with 4:22 remaining in the half. However, the Eagles closed the half on a 13-5 run, including a near-midcourt three-point heave by Casey Wohlleb at the buzzer to make it a 38-33 contest at half.
Florida Gulf Coast then scored the second half's first five points to tie, 38-38, before Drake Reed's jumper gave APSU the lead for good, 40-38, with 17:42 left.
The Governors, however, could not shake the pesky Eagles, who still trailed by just five points with 6:15 remaining. But that is when Wright took over. The Governors, who faced an Eagles starting lineup with no one shorter than 6-4, turned that size disparity into their advantage. If it wasn't Wright gaining a steal, it was the 5-9 Los Angeles native deflecting Eagles passes to teammates Channels or Duncan, or forcing FGCU into other turnovers. The Eagles committed 20 turnovers, 13 in the second half, while the Govs collected double-digit steals for the second time in three games.
Wohlleb led all scorers with 21 points. The Eagles shot just 44.4 percent from the floor.
APSU, meanwhile, finished at 47.1 percent after shooting 57.7 percent in the first half. The Governors, who entered the game shooting better than 79 percent from the free-throw line, had trouble putting away Florida Gulf Coast because of free-throw troubles. The Govs shot only 13 of 28 (46.4 percent) from the line.
APSU did outrebound the Eagles, 32-29, the first time in four games the Governors have won the rebound battle.
-AP-
Head Coach Dave Loos quotes:
"We jumped out ahead and stretched the lead but they kept coming back. We have to be a lot more cognizant of time and score because it dictates how you play the game. I'd like to blame it on the traveling, but we just got real discouraged at the line. We have to clear our heads and go to the line and make it."
"We went into the game knowing they were bigger, but we're quicker and more athletic. Our high pressure defense led to some good things for us. Defensively, I was real pleased. We didn't play in game situations the way we needed to and if we made 10 more free-throws, this game isn't even close."
"This tournament has been good for us because we got to see a lot of different defensive looks and that will help us come conference play."
"We were as cool as the weather today from the free-throw line."
