CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Chris Horton scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while the smothering Austin Peay State University defense limited Jacksonville State to just 30 percent shooting as the Governors rolled to a 73-54 victory, Thursday night, in Ohio Valley Conference action played in Dave Aaron Arena.
The victory improved the Govs to 8-9 overall and 1-1 in the OVC while Jacksonville State fell to 5-13 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Thursday's game was one where the Govs led from the outset and never trailed. They jumped out to a 14-5 lead in the first seven minutes as Josh Robinson scored the game's first five points on a layup and a three pointer. Horton had four early points but it was only after the Gamecocks cut the deficit to six, 14-8, that the Govs senior center took over, scoring APSU's next six points on layups against undersized JSU for a 20-8 advantage.
On three different occasions the Gamecocks cut their deficit to nine but from the 5:28 point on, the Govs lead was double digits. Horton finished the first half with 19 points on 8-of-8 shooting and nine rebounds. Horton had one less field goal than JSU did in the opening half as the Gamecocks finished just 9-of-29 (31 percent) from the floor, although six were from three-point range.
In the second half, the visitors began just 3-of-17 from the floor as the Governors built a 24-point 63-39 advantage. After shooting 50 percent from three-point range in the first half, JSU connected on only 3-of-17 in the final half, two of those coming late.
Horton finished with his season's 13th double-double while also dishing out three assists, blocking a trio of shots and collecting two steals. Sophomore guard Josh Robinson had an efficient 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting while also collecting a quartet of dimes—the same number as point guard Terrell Thompson. Junior guard John Murry came off the bench to add nine second-half points in his most productive outing against a Division I team since the Northern Colorado game back in November.
Although Khalil Davis had just six points, he limited Gamecock double-figure scorer Erci Durham to just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting. Davis also had three assists.
JaQuail Townser was JSU's only double-figure scorer with 10 points as the Gamecocks connect only only 20 of 67 shots on the night.
 -AP-
