KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Isaac Haney and LJ Thomas combined for 42 points, but Austin Peay State University's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season in a 103-68 decision to No. 9 Tennessee, Sunday, at Food City Center.
Haney scored a team-high 22 points on a career-best five made three-pointers, while Thomas tallied his second 20-point performance of the season and paced the Governors with four assists in the loss.
After controlling the jump ball, Austin Peay opened with a Haney three-pointer on their first trip down the court. Tennessee responded to the Govs' early score with a 21-2 run on seven-straight makes from the field and four-straight free throws.
Haney ended the Volunteers' run with a steal and coast-to-coast finish prior to the under-12 media timeout. Thomas scored 11-straight Austin Peay points midway through the opening period, including seven-straight points to cut the Govs' deficit to 23-14.
A pair of Haney triples cut the Govs' deficit to 41-24 in the final six minutes of the half, but his final three-pointer was APSU's final field goal of the half.  Austin Peay's final five points of the half came from the free-throw line, resulting in a 52-29 halftime deficit.
After missing its first three attempts from the field to begin the second half, Austin Peay made 7-of-8 shots in a six-minute span. The Govs' second basket in the run came on Hansel Enmanuel's first three-pointer as a Governor.Â
The Governors cut Tennessee's lead to as few as 14 points after Tekao Carpenter's second-straight three-pointer with nine minutes remaining, but went 3-for-11 from the field in the final eight minutes, resulting in the loss.Â
Up Next
Austin Peay heads to the Bluegrass State for a 6 p.m. (CT), Wednesday matchup with longtime Ohio Valley Conference foe Morehead State in Morehead, Kentucky. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live on ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM/540 AM).
Box Score Bullets
- Austin Peay fell to 1-10 all-time against Tennessee and 1-8 against the Volunteers in Knoxville.
- Sai Witt won Austin Peay's first jump ball of the season.
- Isaac Haney led Austin Peay in scoring with a season-high 22 points. It is the second time he has paced the Govs in the scoring column and first since a 19-point performance against Union in the season opener.
- LJ Thomas tallied his second 20-point performance. Thomas is the only Governor to score in double figures in all four games this season.Â
- Isaac Haney and LJ Thomas are the first Governors to score 20 points in the same game since DeMarcus Sharp and Dezi Jones had 35 and 23 points, respectively, against North Florida in the ASUN Championship Quarterfinals (3/5/24).
- Hansel Enmanuel's three-pointer was his first since the seventh game of his career at Northwestern State.Â
- Me'Kell Burries' three-pointer midway through the second half was his first basket as a Governor.
- The Governors' 10 three-pointers are their second-most this season trailing only 11 against Union in the season opener.
- The Governors fell to 0-1 this season when trailing at halftime.
- Austin Peay's 17 second-chance points were a season high.Â
- Entering today's game, Tennessee had trailed for just 13 seconds this season. APSU held the lead for 1:21.Â
- Head coach Corey Gipson started Sai Witt, Isaac Haney, LJ Thomas, Quan Lax, and Hansel Enmanuel for the third-straight game. The lineup falls to 2-1 on the season.
Follow the Govs on Socials
For news and updates on all things Governors' basketball, follow the men's basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB) and Facebook (Austin Peay Men's Basketball) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.Â
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