CLARKSVILLE—Behind a standout first appearance in an Austin Peay uniform from freshman Terry Taylor, Austin Peay State University men's basketball delivered a solid 95-78 win against Sewanee in exhibition action, Saturday night, in the Dunn Center.
Taylor was electric in his first contest as a Gov, hitting all nine shot attempts from the floor. The wing from Bowling Green scored 24 points and snatched 12 rebounds, pacing an aggressive Austin Peay offensive attack.
Defensively, the Governors swarmed the ball, forcing 23 Sewanee turnovers. With an up-tempo attack predicated on ball-pressure, the Governors repeatedly hounded Sewanee's guards into mistakes. Taylor, junior Zach Glotta and junior Chris Porter-Bunton each collected multiple steals for the Govs.
Glotta's playmaking showed throughout the evening, and he contributed to blowing the game wide open in the first half. At the 9:25 mark, he answered a Luke Smith three with a three of his own to push the Austin Peay lead back to eight. On the next possession, following a steal by Taylor, he found senior Avery Ugba for a layup, then followed that with a pair of free-throws of his own. With 7:36 left, he found Deyshawn Martin wide-open for a three, pushing the Austin Peay lead to 13 points—it would not dip below double figures for the rest of the night.
Glotta finished with 22 points, just behind Taylor for the team lead. Ugba (18 points) and senior Tre' Ivory (15) also reached double figures for the Govs.
The Difference
A doubled-up rebounding difference aided Austin Peay's cause on Saturday. Behind Taylor (game-high 12 rebounds), Ugba (eight) and Chris Porter-Bunton (seven), the Govs outrebounded the Tigers 40-20, turning 17 offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points.
Notably
- The Govs shot over 50 percent from the floor in both halves (69.0 in the first, 51.7 in the second).
- Taylor filled the stat sheet, leading the Govs in points, rebounds and made field goals and tying for the team lead in assists (four, with Porter-Bunton) and steals (three, with Glotta).
- Twenty-three Sewanee turnovers turned into 30 points for the Govs.
- Austin Peay closed the first half on a 29-11 run over the final 9:36 of play.
They Said It
Coaching Quotables with Head Coach Matt Figger
On the game overall as a starting point for the season
"I thought we played pretty decent in the first half and early in the second half. We started playing to the score a little bit in the second half, and that's just lack of playing together. Those are things we'll improve on as the season goes on."
On returning players
"I was happy with those guys. They've come in and practiced the right way and they get it. Tre' ran the team really well, didn't turn the ball over in 31 minutes. Zach did what he's done all year—shot the ball really well. We got him open shots and he made them. Chris asserted himself more in the second half with some scoring. Those guys did a good job for us."
Up Next for the Govs
It's regular-season tip-off time for Austin Peay as they travel to Vanderbilt for the opening game of the 2017 NIT Tip-Off Classic. The Nov. 10 contest tips at 8:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Gym and will be on the SEC Network.
