TAMPA, Fla. – After trailing by 14 in the second half, the Austin Peay men's basketball team rallied back to tie the game but was unable to overcome cold shooting down the stretch in a 60-51 loss at South Florida on Tuesday night.
The Govs trailed by 14 early in the second half before clawing its way back to tie the game with eight minutes remaining. After rallying to tie the game at 40, South Florida embarked on a 10-0 over a four-minute span to extend its lead back to double-digits. APSU cut its deficit down to six with 39 seconds left but missed its final three shots to drop its second straight contest.
It was a tough shooting night for the Govs inside the Yuengling Center, shooting just 31.4 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from behind the three-point line. Austin Peay had two score in double figures, led by junior Cameron Copeland with 12 points. The reigning OVC newcomer of the week was 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
Behind Copeland was redshirt senior Tariq Silver with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field. Silver was 3-of-7 from behind the three-point line to go along with one rebound and two assists in 28 minutes. The duo of Carlos Paez and Elijah Hutchins-Everett each scored six with Hutchins-Everett tallying five rebounds and one steal.
Off the bench it was another stellar performance from senior Corbin Merritt, registering five points and a team-high six rebounds. Along with Merritt, sophomore Noel Scott recorded five points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field with five rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
The Govs forced the Bulls to commit 16 turnovers, scoring 12 points off of turnovers. South Florida outrebounded Austin Peay, 41-33 with a 10-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Govs had 14 points in the paint compared to USF's 26.
It was a first half to forget for the Govs shooting just 20.8 percent from the field and going 2-of-12 from long distance. USF held a 3-2 lead five minutes into the game as APSU and USF went a combined 2-of-12 from the field. The offense continued to stall for APSU, going scoreless for over nine minutes as the Bulls held an 11-2 lead at the halfway point.
A corner three from Merritt ended the scoreless streak as the Govs trailed 11-5 with seven minutes to play in the first half. To end the first half, Carlos Paez went on a personal 5-0 run as the Govs trailed 22-16 heading into the locker room.
Starting the second half, South Florida embarked on a 10-2 run to gain its largest lead of the game at 32-18 with 16:11 remaining. The Govs battled back as the Bulls were held scoreless for three minutes, leading to a 5-0 run for APSU and cutting its deficit down to five near the midway mark of the second half.
The Govs made three of their next four field goals to cut the USF lead down to one. The run from the Govs was highlighted by an and-one from junior Alec Woodard. APSU tied the game with eight minutes remaining thanks to a corner three from Tariq Silver. However, South Florida battled back embarking on a 10-0 run to regain a double-digit lead.
Down the stretch, APSU was outscored 20-11 as the Bulls made six of their final eight field goals to secure the nine-point victory. The Govs defense held USF scoreless from the field the final 4:27 but the Bulls iced the game from the free-throw line going 12-of-15 during the final eight minutes of play.
UP NEXT
It's a quick turnaround for Austin Peay as the Govs play their final road non-conference game against in-state foe Vanderbilt on Saturday, Dec. 18. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m.
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