CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Six players scored in double figures to offset Lester Hudson's 32-point effort as Austin Peay State University defeated Tennessee-Martin, 86-71, Thursday night, in men's Ohio Valley Conference basketball action at Dave Aaron Arena.

The victory improved the Governors to 12-7 overall with a first-place 8-1 OVC record. UT Martin falls to 8-11 overall, 4-5 in the OVC.

Austin Peay used its offensive balance to counter Hudson, the OVC's leading scorer, and freshman Marquis Weddle, who finished with 17 points. However, no other Skyhawk cracked double figures.

APSU took the lead at 4-2 with 17:00 left and never trailed again, building as much as a 20-point first-half lead. But the Govs could never really shake the Skyhawks because of Hudson, the junior guard who finished 10 of 20 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.

APSU led 40-20 with 4:32 left in the first half but went cold until halftime, allowing UT Martin to make it an 11-point halftime contest. Kyle Duncan had nine first-half points while Wes Channels added eight for APSU while Hudson had 11 for UT Martin.

Two early second-half three-pointers saw APSU lead shrink to 10, 47-37, but the Skyhawks could never get the deficit to single digits, thanks to some key buckets by seniors Derek Wright and Todd Babington.

In fact, Wright led the Governors with 18 points to go with five assists and three steals. Channels came off the bench to add 16 to with five more assists. Babington chipped in 14 points, including four three pointers, while Drake Reed added 12, Duncan 11 and Fernandez Lockett 10.

It was the first time since Jan. 2, 1997 that APSU placed six players in double figures.

For the night APSU shot an impressive 50.9 percent (27 of 53), including 10 of 23 from three-point territory. APSU also was 22 of 27 (81.5 percent) from the free-throw line, the 13th time they have shot 70 percent or better at the line this season.

The Govs also held a slim 31-29 rebound advantage, only the fifth time they outrebounded an opponent this season.

-AP-