CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Austin Peay men's basketball team saw its two-game win streak come to an end, falling to Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State, 65-53 on Thursday night inside the Winfield Dunn Center.

It was a back and forth affair in the first half as the Govs led by as many as nine before trailing by five heading into the locker room. In the second half, Murray State began to pull away, outscoring Austin Peay 30-22 the final 20 minutes of play.

Austin Peay had three score in double figures led by freshman Drew Calderon with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. Nine of the 12 field goal attempts for Calderon came from behind the three-point line as the freshman guard knocked down a career-high five threes. It was Calderon's third career game scoring in double figures and second in the last four games.

Behind Calderon was fellow freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field with four rebounds, one assist, and one block. It's the seventh straight game Hutchins-Everett has scored in double figures and 14th time this season.

Rounding the double-digit scoring was senior Elton Walker with 11 points while leading the Govs with eight rebounds. Walker was 5-of-6 from the field and scored nine of his 11 points in the second half. Following Walker in scoring was senior Carlos Paez with eight points, followed by Tariq Silver with four, Jalen Ware with two, and DJ Peavy with one.

The Govs were outrebounded by Murray State, 34-28 with the Racers grabbing 12 offensive rebounds to the Govs six. Austin Peay tallied 16 assists on 20 made field goals with 10 assists coming in the first half. APSU registered 20 points in the paint and forced Murray State to commit 11 turnovers, scoring seven points off of turnovers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half

• Calderon scores six of the first eight points for the Govs with two three-pointers.
• APSU starts the game going 3-of-8 from the field and 2-of-5 from long distance to hold an 8-7 lead at the 14:59 mark.
  • During the first five minutes the Govs force Murray State to commit three turnovers.
• Calderon hits his third three-pointer of the first half to give APSU an 11-7 lead at the 13:20 mark.
  • Scored nine of the first 11 points for Austin Peay.
• Paez connects on a deep three-pointer to widen the Govs lead to 16-7 with 11:54 remaining in the first half.
  • Govs lead 16-7 thanks to a 13-2 run, making three straight field goals.
  • During the Govs run, Murray State held scoreless for over four minutes.
• Murray State goes on a 10-0 run to take 19-18 lead at the 8:15 mark
  • Austin Peay goes scoreless from the field for over 2:30 during the Racers run.  
• Paez knocks down his second three of the first half to propel the Govs back in front 23-21 with 6:34 left in the first half.
• Hutchins-Everett with a corner three to tie the game at 26 with five minutes to play in the first half.
• Murray State responds with a 6-0 run to gain a 32-26 advantage at the three-minute mark.
• Austin Peay makes four of its next five field goals, highlighted by an and-one from Hutchins-Everett to trim the Murray State lead down to 32-28 with 2:16 remaining.
• A tip-in basket from Jalen Ware cuts the Racers lead down to two with one minute left.
• Halftime: Austin Peay 31, Murray State 35
  • Hutchins-Everett leads the Govs with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
  • Calderon with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the three-point line.
  • The Govs shot 48 percent from the field and was 6-of-13 from long distance

Second Half

• Murray State began the second half on a 4-1 run to earn a 40-32 advantage with 16:10 remaining.
• The Racers start the half 2-of-9 from the field as the Govs miss their first three field goals.
• Govs go on a scoring drought of over 2:30 as the Racers convert a four-point play to take a double-digit lead at 44-32 with 15 minutes left.
• Both teams go scoreless from the field for nearly three minutes as Murray State holds on to a 44-34 at the 12:04 mark.
• Walker with a stellar start to the second half, scoring all five points for the Govs as APSU trails Murray State, 44-37 with 11:45 remaining.
• Austin Peay makes four straight field goals to cut the Murray State lead down to five with nine minutes to play.
• Govs make five of their next seven field goals, highlighted by Calderon's fourth three-pointer of the night.
  • Austin Peay trails Murray State, 53-43 with 6:14 remaining.
• The Racers go on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 60-45 with four minutes to play.
  • Austin Peay goes scoreless from the field for over three minutes during Murray State run.
  • Murray State connects on five of its next seven field goals to gain the 15-point advantage.
• APSU goes scoreless from the field for over five minutes as Murray State extends its lead to 63-47 with under two minutes remaining.
• Final: Austin Peay 53, Murray State 65

NOTABLES

• Calderon led the Govs with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field
  • Calderon notched his third double-digit performance of the season
  • Calderon registered a career-high five three-pointers
• Hutchins-Everett with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field with four rebounds
  • It's the 14th double-digit performance for Hutchins-Everett
  • The freshman center has recorded double-digit points in seven straight games
• Walker led the Govs with eight rebounds to go along with 11 points
  • Walker scored nine of his 11 points in the second half
  • Walker registered his third double-digit performance of the season and 41st of his career
• The Govs had three score in double figures for the 12th game this season

UP NEXT
Another tough battle awaits Austin Peay as the Govs travel to Morehead State, Saturday, Feb. 5. It will be the second meeting between APSU and Morehead State with the Govs dropping the first meeting, 66-55 back on Jan. 8.

GET YOUR TICKETS!
Purchase single-game tickets or the all-new Family Four Pack presented by The City Forum. Receive four tickets to both a men's and women's basketball game along with four attraction passes at The City Forum. Packages start at just $22 and can be purchased by visiting letsgopeay.com/buytickets using the Promo Code: FAM4 or contacting the Govs Ticket Office at 931-221-PEAY (7329).

FOLLOW THE GOVS
For all the latest information on Austin Peay Athletics, please visit letsgopeay.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Govs on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.