CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – After falling behind by double-digits in the first half, the Austin Peay State University men's basketball team was able to cut the deficit to just six points but could never even the score and fell to Bellarmine, 56-45, in ASUN Conference action, Thursday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.

Austin Peay (8-12, 2-5 ASUN) did not find its way onto the scoreboard until the 14:05 mark in the opening quarter when Elijah Hutchins-Everett came off the bench and drilled a three-pointer, however, the triple came after a 12-0 game-opening run for Bellarmine (9-11, 4-3) and the Govs trailed by nine.

Coming out of the under-12 media timeout, Sean Durugordon knocked down a three-pointer to bring the Governors back within nine, 15-6, with 11:25 left in the first half. But that was the closest Austin Peay would get in the opening period, with Bellarmine pushing its lead to as many as 16 points before the Govs closed on a 5-0 run to bring the score to 30-19 at the half.

Austin Peay opened the second half with back-to-back layups from Cameron Copeland and Guy Fauntleroy – who led the Govs with 10 points – to cut the Knights' lead to just nine points, 32-23, after two minutes. Copeland capped off the second-half opening run with a three-pointer, coming off a Fauntleroy assist, and the Governors trailed by just six points for the first time in the second half with 16:05 left in the contest.

However, the Knights methodically pushed the lead back to double-digits and led 47-33 after Juston Betz, who led Bellarmine with 13 points, knocked down a three-pointer at the 10:05 mark.

The Govs had another run in them, with Carlos Paez and Drew Calderon drilling three-pointers from the exact same corner before Fauntleroy found his way to the basket for two points, bringing the score back to 47-41 with 5:35 left to play. But Bellarmine closed the contest on a 9-4 run and closed out an 11-point win over the Governors.

The Difference 

The opening five minutes. Bellarmine built a 12-0 lead in the first five minutes, aside from that, the Knights were only able to outscore the Governors by one point in the final 35 minutes of the game. In the second half, each team scored 26 points and the Govs were unable to make up any ground.

Notably 

• Austin Peay dropped its second-straight game to Bellarmine – with the first win coming in 1974 – but still leads the all-time series 11-7.
• The Governors still hold a 6-2 advantage over the Knights in Clarksville.
• Austin Peay's bench outscored Bellarmine's reserves, 23-16, and the Govs fell to 6-4 when outscoring its opponent's bench.
• The Governors went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line, it was the first time they had shot 100 percent at the charity stripe since they went 7-for-7 against Vanderbilt (11/18/21).
• The Govs turned the ball over just nine times, marking just the sixth time this season they have committed less than 10 turnovers. However, APSU is just 2-3 in games where it has single-digit turnovers.
• Guy Fauntleroy led the Governors with 10 points, it was his third game in double-figures and the second time he has led the way in scoring this season.
• Fauntleroy and Shon Robinson each dished out a team-leading three assists, it was the sixth time Fauntleroy has led the team in assists and the third time Robinson has done so.
• Elijah Hutchins-Everett grabbed a team-leading five rebounds and has now led the Govs a team-best nine times on the glass this season.

Quotably, Coach James

Opening thoughts… "We started off really slow. We knew that the pace which we had to defend, you know that full 30-second shot clock, was going to be a tall task and they do such a great job just moving the ball. That wears you on your offense, and they are struggling to find their consistency shooting the ball. It's been a tough time, our guys made plays and were able to get back, but you spot teams so many points and it does change things."

On the Govs offense… "They are playing for a coach, that I am going to allow them to shoot the shots and they have to be ready to shoot them. Those windows close pretty fast and that was a good defensive team, so you are not going to get much in the post. They are going to swarm the post, so when the ball is kicked out we have to knock it down, and, you know, we were hesitant. We knew we had to knock down some threes and defend them, and we didn't."

Up Next 

Austin Peay hosts a 3 p.m., Saturday contest against ASUN rival Eastern Kentucky in the Winfield Dunn Center. Saturday is Craft Beer Day in Dunn Center from 1-3 p.m. before the Govs square off with the Colonels. Six local breweries are scheduled to be in the building and fans can purchase a $25 ticket for Craft Beer Day and the game at https://bit.ly/GovsCraftBeer or by calling the Austin Peay Ticket Office at 931-221-PEAY.

For news and updates on everything Governors men's basketball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsMBB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.