NASHVILLE, Tenn. – DeMarcus Sharp and Ja'Monta Black both scored a game-high 19 points, but Austin Peay State University's basketball team fell to Tennessee State 69-65, Saturday, in the Gentry Center after the Tigers scored 24 points from the charity stripe.

Sharp and Black led the Govs in scoring for the sixth and third time, respectively, while Sharp also matched his season's best mark with seven assists and finished second on the team with six rebounds.

Austin Peay (3-6) struck first after Black went a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line, beginning a streak of eight-straight points by the Columbia, Missouri native to open the game, as his second three-pointer of the night gave the Govs an 11-6 lead with 16:32 remaining in the opening half.

Dezi Jones entered the scoring column with a long-range basket a minute later to answer a TSU (6-3) score. Following Jones' score, the Tigers went on a 9-4 run to take their second lead of the night, but the lead was quickly answered by three-straight APSU scores as the Govs regained a six-point advantage with 11:07 remaining. Austin Peay extended its advantage to a then game-high seven points with nine minutes remaining off Black's fourth triple, and reached a double-digit lead with under 90 seconds remaining on the graduate student's fifth long-range basket. 

Black paced the game with 17 points at the half, as the Govs led 42-32 after making seven attempts from beyond the arc and holding the Tigers to just one make on nine attempts. 

A 10-point APSU advantage four minutes into the final half was quickly cut to one after a 90-second, 9-0 run by the Tigers. Despite the Govs' brief cold spell, they were able to withstand the lead until a pair of free throws gave the Tigers a 52-51 lead midway through the period. 

Tennessee State took a six-point lead following a 12-1 run. A pair of free throws by Dez White sparked a streak of 11-straight points by the Govs, as they took a 61-59 lead with 6:16 remaining heading into the under-8 media timeout. 

The two longtime rivals battled back and forth, with a step back shot by Sharp putting the Govs up 64-63 with under 2:18 left in regulation. Sharp's score proved to be the final of the night for the Govs, as a Tennessee State layup followed by another basket in the paint with 17 seconds left put it up by two.  

The Tigers cemented the win following a perfect trip to the charity stripe with five seconds left. 

The Difference

Free throws. Tennessee State made 24 of its 35 attempts at the charity stripe, including 15-of-20 in the first half.

Up Next

The Governors return to Clarksville for their first homestand of the season and will host Midway in a 7 p.m., Tuesday game on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena. Following their game against the Eagles, the Govs host rival Murray State at 6:15 p.m., Saturday.

Inside The Box Score

• Austin Peay fell to 52-33 all-time against the Tigers and 13-24 against them in Nashville.
• DeMarcus Sharp and Ja'Monta Black led APSU with 19 points.
• Sharp had a three-game streak of scoring at least 20 points come to an end. 
• Sharp matched his season high with seven assists against the Tigers.
• Sharp had a career-best three blocks.
• Hansel Enmanuel scored a career-best six points and also grabbed a career-best seven rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end. 

Coach's Corner

With Austin Peay Head Coach Corey Gipson

Overall thoughts… "I thought it was a hard-fought game by both teams. I thought that throughout the game, we were too handsy and sent them to the line. And that was mostly coming from our forwards. Game in and game out, we are fouling too much with our frontcourt players and we have to find a happy medium. We had two frontcourt players foul out tonight and we have to get to a point where we can play the game, guard the interior without fouling. But part of it is our guards have to do a better job at keeping other team's guards out of the lane and forcing our forwards to overcommit and help."

Follow The Govs On Social

For news and updates throughout the 2023-24 season, follow the men's basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men's Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.