Todd Babington scored a career-high 27 points, leading Austin Peay to a 72-52 Ohio Valley Conference win over Eastern Illinois, Thursday night. The Govs improve to 16-9 overall with a 12-3 first-place league clip. Eastern Illinois falls to 4-19 with a 3-12 conference mark.

Babington had 15 of the Govs' 29 first-half points and finished shooting 10 of 14 from the floor, including a career-high tying 7 of 11 three pointers. Drake Reed was the only other Govs player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points. Fernandez Lockett grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to go along with seven points, while Derek Wright tossed seven assists. Wes Channels added nine points off the bench.

The Govs jumped out to an early lead, but it was Eastern Illinois who got hot right before the break. Austin Peay led 25-9 at the 8:32 mark after a pair of Channels' free-throws. The Panthers then closed out the half with a 20-4 run, including 10 points by Jon'Tee Willhite. The Govs hung on to lead by one point, 29-28, at the break.

In the second half, it stayed close for five minutes as Eastern Illinois trailed by one point, 35-34, with 15:14 to play. However, the Govs would build some distance over the next five minutes. Channels hit a mid-range jumper and Babington followed with a three-pointer sparking a 11-2 Govs run that would give them an 11-point, 46-36, lead with 10:22 left.

The Panthers would close it to six points, but stellar free-throw shooting again distanced the Govs. In fact, they connected on 8 of 8 from the line in the game's final eight minutes. The Govs finished making 18 of 21 (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe.

Austin Peay closed the game on a 20-9 run, setting the final margin.

The Govs return to action when they host Samford in a 7:35 p.m., Saturday, doubleheader. The game has been deemed "Faith Night," offering $3 admission with a church bulletin to all fans.

-AP-