FORT MYERS, Fla. – Austin Peay State University's basketball team posted an impressive first half, shooting 51.9 and 57.9 percent from the field and three-point range, respectively, but dropped a 73-67 decision to Atlantic Sun Conference foe Florida Gulf Coast, Saturday, at Alico Arena after allowing the Eagles to shoot 65.2 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

DeMarcus Sharp led Austin Peay (10-12, 3-4 ASUN) with 16 points and matched his season's best mark with seven assists and no turnovers. It marked the graduate student guard's 12th time pacing the team in the scoring column and 17th of leading the Govs in dimes. 

The Governors led FGCU (9-13, 3-4 ASUN) wire-to-wire in the first half and jumped out to a 9-2 lead following Ja'Monta Black's first of four three-pointers on the night. 

A 4-0 Eagles' run trimmed the Govs' deficit to one score after Black's triple, but proved to be the closest the two teams would get in the half, as APSU answered with a 16-6 run after making six of their next seven shots from the field over the next five minutes, and led 25-12 with 9:49 remaining in the half following Black's third triple of the night.

Black's lead-extending three-pointer began a stretch of eight-straight baskets from long-range – four for both sides – with the final coming from Dezi Jones with 4:55 remaining in the half to give the Govs a 31-24 lead.

Jones scored APSU's final eight points of the half, with the final coming beyond the arc at the three-minute mark to give APSU a 12-point advantage, but the Eagles answered with five-straight points after forcing a trio of misses from the field.

Black led the game with 12 points and a quartet of triples at the half and was followed by Jones' 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 mark from deep.

A 36-29 Govs' lead at the break was diminished to two points in the first 90 seconds of the half, but inside-the-arc scores by a Sharp and Dez White, followed by a Dez White three-pointer gave the Govs a nine-point lead with 16:13 left in regulation.

Back-to-back Eagles' triples and a fastbreak layup brought the game back within one at 45-44, but Sai Witt and Sharp scored the game's next seven points to turn the momentum back in favor of the visitors from Clarksville.

After trading scores, FGCU took its first lead of the night at 57-55 with 8:15 remaining on a three-pointer, but a White triple continued a streak of all five of the night's lead changes, until FGCU forced an APSU timeout with 3:28 remaining after gaining a four-point lead.

The Eagles made all three of their attempts from the field in the final three minutes, going 3-for-3, while the Govs went 2-for-6, including a pair of failed attempts in the final five seconds.

Up Next

Austin Peay ends a three-game road trip to the 27th State with a 6 p.m. (CT), Wednesday contest against Jacksonville at Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Difference

Second-half scoring. FGCU outscored the Govs 44-31 in the second half and went 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) from the field and 10-of-13 (76.5 percent) from the charity stripe.

Inside the Box Score

• Austin Peay fell to 2-2 all-time against the Eagles and 0-2 against them in Fort Myers, Florida.
• Austin Peay fell to 10-12 on the season, 3-4 in ASUN play, and 2-10 in road games.
• DeMarcus Sharp scored a team-high 16 points, it marked his 20th double-figure scoring performance and 11th time as the Govs' leading scorer.
• Sharp also dished out a game-high seven assists, which is tied for his season high and the most by a Gov this season. 
• Ja'Monta Black led Austin Peay with four three-pointers. He made Austin Peay's first three-pointer of the night with 15:57 remaining in the opening half, extending the Govs' streak of consecutive games with a triple to 688 games.