CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a stellar shooting performance, the Austin Peay men's basketball got back in the win column with a wire-to-wire 98-55 victory over Milligan on Sunday afternoon inside the Winfield Dunn Center.

The Govs shot a season-high 59 percent from the field on Sunday while going 12-of-28 from behind the three-point line. It's the fourth time in the last five games Austin Peay has registered double-digit three-pointers. From the free-throw line, the Govs shot 73.7 percent, marking the sixth time this season APSU has shot 70 percent or better from the charity stripe.

All five starters for the Govs finished in double figures led by redshirt senior Tariq Silver with 20 points. Silver was 7-of-9 from the field and matched a season-high with four three-pointers. The Clarksville native also had four assists to go along with two steals in 25 minutes of action. It's the second game this season Silver has reached 20 points and the sixth time in his career.

Behind Silver was redshirt freshman Caleb Stone-Carrawell with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Stone-Carrawell also had four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. It's the sixth consecutive game Stone-Carrawell has scored in double figures. Reaching double figures for the second time this season was junior Carlos Paez with 11 points. Paez scored nine of his 11 in the second half as the junior guard went 5-of-8 from the field.

The duo of freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett and junior Cameron Copeland each had 10 for the Govs. Hutchins-Everett was 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Copeland was 4-of-8 from the field while leading the Govs with a season-high seven rebounds. The starting five combined to score 68 of APSU's 98 total points.

Austin Peay registered a season-high 30 points off the bench led by junior Alec Woodard with 12. Woodard in his first game since Nov.9, was a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the three-point line. The Govs got key contributions off the bench as freshman Drew Calderon had six points followed by Corbin Merritt with five, Elton Walker with four, and Noel Scott with three.

On the defensive end, the Govs forced Milligan to commit 23 turnovers, scoring 38 points off of turnovers. Austin Peay outrebounded Milligan, 31-26 with each team grabbing nine offensive rebounds. APSU was off and running on Sunday, registering 20 fast-break points to Milligan's four.

It was a fast and furious start for the Govs who were playing their first home game since the season opener on Nov. 9. APSU made its first three field goals to take an 8-2 lead just three minutes into the game. During the first three-minute stretch, the Govs defense was on lockdown, forcing Milligan to commit four turnovers. The Govs ultimately went on a 13-2 run to widen their lead to double digits.

After a corner three from freshman Drew Calderon, the Govs held a 16-2 advantage with 15:20 remaining. The Govs began the game hitting six of their first seven field goals and was 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line. Five straight points from Tariq Silver as the 12:10 mark extended the Austin Peay lead to 23-6. Milligan responded with a 9-0 run of their own to trim the APSU lead down to single digits at the halfway point of the first half.

Later in the first half, the Govs extended their lead to 33-19 with 6:27 left to go, thanks to a 5-0 run highlighted by a fast-break dunk from Caleb Sonte-Carrawell. The double-digit lead didn't last for long as Milligan made four straight field goals to trim its deficit down to 35-24 with 4:43 remaining. To end the half, Austin Peay made four of its final five field goals to take a 50-36 into the locker room.

Senior Carlos Paez jumpstarted the Govs offense early in the second half, scoring nine of the first 19 points for the Govs. Austin Peay made five of its first seven field goals to begin the final 20 minutes of play en route to a 69-38 advantage. Leading 69-43 with 12 minutes remaining, APSU embarked on a 7-0 run to widen its lead. The 7-0 run was a part of a 20-5 run for the Govs that lasted over nine minutes.

Austin Peay continued to grow its lead late in the second half as Stone-Carrawell rattled off six straight points as part of a Govs 14-2 run to earn a 95-52 lead. The offense that was firing on all cylinders took its foot off the gas pedal late in the game as the Govs were held scoreless the final 2:17 en route to a convincing 98-55 victory.

NOTABLES

• Austin Peay has won five straight games against Milligan
• APSU is now 10-1 all-time against Milligan inside the Winfield Dunn Center
• The Govs improve to 25-36 against non-conference opponents from Tennessee
• All five starters for the Govs scored in double figures
  • Combined to score 68 of Austin Peay's 98 total points
• Tariq Silver notched his second 20-point performance of the season and sixth of his career
• APSU's 50 points in the first half was the most points scored in a half this season
• APSU forced Milligan to commit 23 turnovers
  • The second time this season APSU has forced an opponent to commit at least 20 turnovers
• Austin Peay starts 2-0 at home for the fourth straight season

UP NEXT
Taking a week off for exams, Austin Peay returns to action in the Sunshine State on Saturday, Dec. 11 against North Florida. It will be the first of two games in Florida for the Govs, squaring off with South Florida on Dec. 14.

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