NASHVILLE, Tenn.?Austin Peay shot a blazing 68.6 percent (24 of 35) in the first half on the way to a 93-84 win against Belmont, Wednesday night in a non-conference game at the Curb Event Center in Nashville.
The Govs improve to 5-6 overall - completing the home-and-home sweep of Belmont - while the Bruins fall to 7-5 overall.

Senior Derek Wright led the Govs with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the three-point line. Wright also led the team with six rebounds, six steals and four assists. Junior Drake Reed had 22 points, including 18 in the first half, while senior Fernandez Lockett and sophomore Wes Channels each scored 14 points.

Wright opened the game with a three-pointer, sparking a 17-4 Austin Peay run over the game's first five minutes. Working the inside, Reed scored 10 of the Govs' first 15 points in the paint. A media timeout at the 14:32 mark brought the Govs back out cold and Belmont took advantage. Three straight three-pointers by Belmont's Andy Wicke shrunk the Govs lead to three points, 19-16, with 13:26 left, but Austin Peay continued to shoot the ball with confidence.

It wasn't long before the Govs had a double-digit lead again as a 15-4 Govs run that spanned just less than three minutes made it a 14-point game, 42-28, with 5:07 left. Wright, who had two steals in the run, capped it with a layup. Austin Peay continued to have the hot hand, building its lead to 22 points, before a Justin Hare three-pointer with seven seconds until the horn, to hold a 19-point, 60-41, halftime lead.

The 60 points were more than the Govs had in the previous contest, a 64-55 loss to Akron, Saturday. The Govs also scored just 47 points against Valparaiso during the South Padre Island Invitational. 

The Govs didn't shoot it quite as well in the second half and Belmont would make its run. The Bruins cut the lead to 11 points, 75-64, with 7:58 to play taking advantage of its time at the free-throw line. In fact, Belmont hit 12 of 15 second-half free-throws. But it was the Govs late effort at the line that made the difference. Ahead by eight points, 85-77, with 1:35 to play, the Govs held on at the free-throw line. They made 8 of 10 free-throws to close out the game, including 3-of-4 by both Wright and junior Kyle Duncan.

The win is the first non-conference road win for the Govs this season.

-AP-