EL PASO, Texas – After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, Austin Peay State University's basketball team cut its deficit to as few as five points early in the second; however, the Governors were unable to complete the road comeback and fell in Friday's game against UTEP, 71-63, during the regional matchup of the 2023 SoCal Challenge at the Don Haskins Center.
DeMarcus Sharp and Dez White led Austin Peay (2-2) with 14 points apiece, while Ja'Monta Black rounded out the trio of Govs in double figures with 13 points in the effort.
Despite having a streak of three-straight double-doubles come to an end against UTEP (4-0), Sharp continued his balanced attack to begin his career as a Governor, as he led APSU with seven assists, six rebounds, and a game-high five steals – the most by a Gov this season.
The Miners jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage after making their first two attempts of the night, and held an 11-6 advantage at under-16 media break after making five of their first seven attempts from the field and limiting the Govs to 3-of-6.
UTEP scored three-straight points following the media break, extending its lead to 15-6 with 15:19 remaining after the Miners' Tae Hardy connected on his first of four triples of the afternoon. Austin Peay then scored six-straight points to cut its deficit to three with 13:36 left in the opening half; however, the Govs missed their next six attempts from the field and surrendered a 10-0 UTEP run before a Sai Witt mid-range jumper ended a four-minute APSU scoring drought and trimmed the Govs' deficit to 25-14 just past the midway point of the opening half.
A perfect trip to the charity stripe by Sharp put the Govs within double digits on the next points of the game, but it proved to be the closest the first half would get, as the Miners were able to maintain a double-figure lead throughout the majority of the final eight-and-a-half minutes and led 38-27 at the break.
Dez White attempted each of Austin Peay's first five shots of the second half, connecting on four, two of which were three-pointers. White's second triple of the half trimmed the Miners' lead to 40-35, while both a floater and split trip at the charity stripe also kept the Govs within two scores with 15:39 and 14:40 remaining in regulation, respectively.
Following White's free throw, the Miners reextended their lead to double-digits after a three-point play and three-pointer to go up 49-38 with 13:52 left. UTEP made five of its next seven baskets following the two three-point plays and held a game-high 16-point lead with 9:41 remaining.
Black went on to answer the 16-point advantage with back-to-back three-pointers to make it a 10-point lead, as the two teams traded scores for the remainder of the period.
Despite a second half in which Austin Peay turned the ball over just four times, while forcing 10 UTEP mishaps and limiting them to just a pair of three-pointers on eight attempts, the Governors were unable to complete the late comeback big and dropped the eight-point decision in the regional matchup of the 2023 SoCal Challenge.
The Difference
Efficiency. The Miners made three more baskets than Austin Peay on eight less attempts, outshooting the Govs 55.3 to 40.0 percent from the field.
Up Next
The Govs face Tarleton State, Monday, and will then, with a win, play the winner of the Cal State Bakersfield-Sacramento State game which will be decided prior to the Govs' contest against the Texans at The Pavilion at JSerra San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California. With a loss, the Govs would player the loser of the matchup.
What the Peayple are Saying
Inside the Box Score
- Austin Peay fell to 0-2 on the road this season and 2-1 against first-time opponents.
- DeMarcus Sharp and Dez White combined for a team-best 14 points in the loss. It is each of their second times being the Govs' leading scorer through four games this season.
- Sharp tallied seven assists for the third time this season. He had six assists with no turnovers in the second half alone.
- Sharp's five steals are tied for the most since Cameron Copeland had seven at Howard, Nov. 26, 2021.
- Four of Sharp' seven assists translated into threes, as he accounted for a team-high 32 points.
- Both White and Ja'Monta Black finished with a team-best three triples.
- Austin Peay extended its program-record of consecutive game with a three-pointer to 670 contests – a streak that began Feb. 23, 2002.
- Austin Peay's 15 steals are its most since tallying 19 against Milligan, Nov. 14, 2022.
Coach's Corner
With head men's basketball coach Corey Gipson
Overall thoughts.… "That was a hard-fought game out there. I was really impressed with both teams and how they got after it defensively. UTEP is known for turning people over, but if you look at the game book, we forced 21 turnovers and we had 14 ourselves. Last year, they were ranked top 20 in the nation in forcing turnovers, so I was very impressed with our guys, in how we took care of the ball for the most part and matched their intensity and also kept our intensity throughout most of the game to fight and show resiliency."
On the progression of the team … "This group is farther along than where we thought they would be at this point in the season. We only have two guys that playing on this roster that were with us at our previous school [Northwestern State] that are active. So we are farther along than we thought we would be at this point and what we as a staff have been most impressed with at this point is the mentality and the fortitude that this group has."
On any standouts… "The whole team really stood out to me today with their resiliency. I do not want to pin-point any single person, I just like how we stayed together collectively in a hostile environment."
Follow The Govs On Social
For news and updates throughout the Governors inaugural season in F&M Bank Arena, follow the men's basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men's Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
