CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Led by Tate McCubbin's 18 second-half points, Austin Peay State University's basketball team scored 58 points in the final period to earn a 92-78 Atlantic Sun Conference victory against Queens, Thursday, at Curry Arena. 

Coming off a 31-point performance last time out, the freshman McCubbin scored a game-high 25 points and connected on six three-pointers to help Austin Peay (13-16, 8-8 ASUN) earn its fourth victory in its last five outings. LJ Thomas followed the big man with 23 points off a 10-for-11 night at the line – his eighth 20-point game of the season.

Isaac Haney opened the game with a three-pointer to give APSU an early lead. The Governors surrendered the advantage just twice in the first half, with the second instance coming from a 6-2 Royals run midway through the opening period.

Trailing 16-15 with 9:19 remaining in the half, the Govs allowed just one Queens' field goal over the next eight minutes to extend its lead to a game-high 13 points at 34-21 with 1:44 to play in the period.

After breaking its cold spell from the field following a layup with under 90 seconds remaining, Queens ended the break on a 9-0 run after backing a pair of layups and five attempts from the charity stripe, cutting its deficit to 34-30.

LJ Thomas led all scorers with 11 points at the half with a quartet of makes from the field and a pair of free throws.

The Royals' Chris Ashby opened the second half with his first three-pointer of the game to make it a one-point game and gave QUOC a seven-point lead four minutes into the period by making back-to-back contested three-pointers. 

A McCubbin three-pointer with 14:03 sparked a 14-3 APSU run, but the Royals responded with nine-straight points of their own to lead 63-59 midway through the half. 

After exchanging the lead on four-straight scoring possessions, a perfect trip to the line by Thomas, followed by Bowen Hammer's second-career basket, sparked the 14th and final lead change of the night. 

Queens cut its deficit to as few as four points, but a 12-3 APSU run to end the game resulted in the 14-point victory for the visitors from Clarksville.

Up Next

Austin Peay returns to Clarksville for a nationally-televised game and Senior Day with a 6 p.m., Monday contest against Lipscomb at F&M Bank Arena. Senior Day festivities will begin at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Box Score Bullets

• Austin Peay improved to 2-3 all-time against the Royals and 1-1 against them in Charlotte.
• Austin Peay's 58 second-half points are its most points in a single half since scoring 62 in the second half against North Florida in the ASUN Conference opener, Jan. 2.
• The Governors outrebounded Queens, 36-32, and now are 8-3 when controlling the glass.
• Tate McCubbin's 25 points mark his fifth 20-point performance of the season and the first time he has eclipsed 20 points in back-to-back games in his collegiate career.
• Tate McCubbin and LJ Thomas are the first APSU duo to both notch 20 points in a game since McCubbin and Isaac Haney had 27 and 20, respectively, against Central Arkansas, Feb. 8.
• Austin Peay limited Queens to just two offensive rebounds in the second half and did not allow any second-chance points in the period.
• With the win, Austin Peay has locked up at least a top-eight seed in the ASUN Men's Basketball Championship.

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