DAYTON, Ohio – In front of a sold-out crowd inside UD Arena, the Austin Peay men's basketball team made five of its final six field goals and ended the game on a 14-3 run to secure an 87-81 victory over Dayton, Saturday afternoon.

During the final 3:21 of play, the Govs defense held Dayton to just 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Down the stretch, Austin Peay made five of its final six field goals and iced the game by making five of its final eight free throws.

The Govs had four score in double figures for the second time this season, led by freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett who had a career night against the Flyers. Hutchins-Everett notched a career-high 25 points to go along with a career-high 14 rebounds. The Orange, N.J., native was 6-of-13 from the field and a staggering 13-of-16 from the free-throw line.

Behind Hutchins-Everett in scoring was redshirt freshman Caleb Stone-Carrawell who matched his career-high with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Stone-Carrawell was also 3-of-4 from behind the three-point line to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. It's the third double-digit performance for Stone-Carrawell this season.

Redshirt senior Tariq Silver tallied 15 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field. Silver was 7-of-11 from the free-throw line while having two three-pointers and four assists. Rounding out the double-digit scoring off the bench was junior Cameron Copeland with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. Copeland scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half.

Junior Carlos Paez had seven points against Dayton with a team-high six assists in 38 minutes played. Paez also had one steal and one rebound while going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

As a team, the Govs shot 48.1 percent from the field and was 10-of-21 from behind the three-point line. The Govs went to the free-throw line early and often, going 27-of-37 from the charity stripe. It was the first game since Feb. 15, 2020, that Austin Peay has made 25 free throws and attempted more than 35. Austin Peay was outrebounded, 35-32 with 11 offensive rebounds.

It was a back and forth battle in the first half between the Govs and the Flyers with seven ties and seven lead changes. Austin Peay got off to a hot start from long distance making its first three three-pointers to earn an 8-3 lead at the 17:52 mark. Dayton countered with a full-court press that helped the Flyers gain an 11-9 advantage.

The two teams went back and forth nearing the midway point of the first half as Hutchins-Everett knocked down two free-throws to tie the game at 15 with 12:26 remaining. Free-throw shooting kept the Govs in the game as APSU went scoreless from the field for over four minutes, yet the game was still tied at the halfway point.

Dayton earned its largest lead of the first half with 5:38 remaining after embarking on a 5-0 run. However, the Govs rallied back with a coast-to-coast bucket from Stone-Carrawell and a three from Calderon to tie the game at 32 with four left to play. The Flyers picked up momentum down the stretch in the first half, making eight of their final 10 field goals to grab a 46-38 lead at halftime.

The Flyers recorded their largest lead of the game (12) early in the second half. Despite the double-digit deficit the Govs continued to grind their way back, embarking on a 9-0 run over five minutes to trail 55-52 with 12:55 remaining. The 9-0 run was highlighted by five points off the bench from Copeland.

After a tough lay-up from Hutchins-Everett, the Govs cut their deficit down to seven at the midway point of the second half. Passing the halfway point, both teams got hot from the field as Dayton and Austin Peay went a combined 9-of-11 from the field en route to a 71-65 lead for the Flyers with 7:34 remaining.

Austin Peay continued to battle back and trailed by three with 3:21 left after Silver made 2-of-3 from the charity stripe after being fouled on a three-point attempt. The Govs then forced a Dayton turnover for the second straight possession that led to a Paez transition three-pointer to tie the game at 78 with 2:55 left to play.

The Govs earned their first lead of the second half on their next possession as Stone-Carrawell buried a floater from the free-throw line to give APSU an 80-78 lead. Silver gave the Govs a four-point lead just seconds later on a fadeaway jumper with under a minute remaining. Down the stretch, Austin Peay won the game at the free-throw line, making five of its final eight to secure the 87-81 road victory.

NOTABLES

• Freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett earned first career double-double
  • First APSU player to have a double-double since Terry Taylor on March 4, 2021
• Hutchins-Everett earned a career-high in points (25) and rebounds (14)
• Redshirt freshman Caleb Stone-Carrawell matched his career-high with 18 points
• Second game this season Austin Peay has had four score in double figures
• Second consecutive game the Govs made double-digit three-pointers
• Austin Peay scored 49 second-half points, the most in a single half this season
• The 87-81 road win, snapped a seven-game road losing streak
• Austin Peay clinched its first-ever victory over Dayton
• Marked the first win over a Division I opponent under head coach Nate James

UP NEXT
The Govs will have nearly a week off before hitting the court again on the road at Howard on Saturday, Nov. 26. It will be the fourth of five-straight road games for Austin Peay.

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