Box Score CHARLESTON, Ill. -Sparked by junior guard TyShwan Edmondson, Austin Peay State University rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to force overtime and then defeat Eastern Illinois, 77-73, Saturday night, in Ohio Valley Conference basketball action played at Lantz Arena.
The victory pushes the Governors to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the OVC while Eastern Illinois slips to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in the OVC.
After opening overtime with three turnovers and allowing a Jeremy Granger layup to fall behind, 69-67, senior Caleb Brown knocked down an elbow three-pointer to give Austin Peay a 70-69 lead with 2:43 to play.
Junior John Fraley converted a conventional three-point play - a layup and a free throw - to put Austin Peay ahead by four points and Edmondson scored the Govs' final four points to seal it up.
The Hopkinsville native finished with a career-best 33 points, becoming the first 30-point scorer for the Govs since Drake Reed had 35, Feb. 5, 2009 against UT Martin. Edmondson also had a game-high 10 boards for his first career double-double.
Junior Anthony Campbell added 17 points, while Fraley scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Trailing 58-45 with eight minutes left, Edmondson knocked down a three pointer and then stole the ball, and followed with a slam to spark a defensive energy that infiltrated the team. Although EIU would go back to an 11-point advantage, 61-50, Edmondson responded with another three pointer to make it a 61-53 game with 5:17 left.
From there the Governors would forced four turnovers in the next 2 ½ minutes, come all the way back and tie the game at 63-all when Edmondson tipped in a missed shot with 2:29 left.
After an EIU fast-break layup, Austin Peay used solid free-throw shooting to force the extra period. Campbell hit a pair of free throws with 1:42 to play and Edmondson's pair left the game tied at 67-all.
Perhaps the unsung hero for the Govs was junior front-courter Marcel Williams, who played 16 minutes, did not score, but had two blocks and two steals. Williams repeatedly came up with big defensive plays down the stretch, notching a steal during the second-half ending run and another steal at the end of regulation.
Defense and rebounding helped the Govs shape their second-half comeback. Twice - at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime - the Govs forced EIU into off-balance missed shots that would've either tied or won the game. Williams, in fact, defended on Granger's final overtime shot attempt.
Austin Peay outrebounded EIU, 37-31, including 22 offensive boards which led to 23 second-chance points. The Govs also turned 19 EIU turnovers into 22 points.
Offensively, Austin Peay made 24-of-67 (35.8 percent) from the floor. Eastern Illinois, meanwhile, shot 49 percent (24 of 49).
The Panthers had four players in double figures led by Shaun Pratl's 21 points. Tyler Laser had 15 points while Granger and Hollowell added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Finally, after a nine-game season-opening road swing, the Govs return to Clarksville for their home opener, 7 p.m., Tuesday, when they host Lipscomb. The Bisons won the earlier matchup in overtime, 104-101, Nov. 18, in Nashville.
