CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's basketball team dropped a 93-88 Atlantic Sun Conference decision to Central Arkansas, Wednesday, on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.
Austin Peay (21-7, 15-2 ASUN) led by as many as 17 points midway through the first half, but was outscored 49-42 in the second half and 24-11 in the final 6:45, resulting in the Governors' lone home loss of the 2025-26 season.
The Govs were led in scoring by Collin Parker's 29 points, while Rashaud Marshall finished with 19 points and a team-best nine rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
Central Arkansas (19-11, 14-3 ASUN) scored the day's first points on a three-pointer during its first trip down the line; however, it was quickly answered by an 8-0 Austin Peay run, with Anton Brookshire and Parker highlighting the streak with a pair of three-pointers.
Parker's three-pointer was his first of four in as many attempts during the first half, as his second triple sparked a stretch of eight-straight makes for Govs – five of which came from three, including three from Parker alone – as they extended their lead to a game-high 17 points at 38-21 with 6:36 remaining in the first half. The Govs' extended lead was met by a 12-0 run by the Bears to make it five-point game, and UCA trimmed its deficit to as few as two points entering half.
Parker led all scorers with 21 points through 20 minutes, pacing a Govs' offense that shot 57.1% from the field (16-28) and 63.6% from three (7-11).
APSU opened the second half on a 16-8 run to extend its lead back to double digits five minutes into the period, and, despite UCA trimming the advantage back to one score on two separate occasions, the Govs led 77-69 with 6:45 to play following a pair of Brookshire free throws.
The Bears hit three-straight three-pointers to take their first lead since the game's first score, which also sparked five-straight lead changes over the next three minutes. A pair of McCubbin free throws in the final 33 seconds made it a two-point game, but three-straight UCA free throws followed by a layup resulted in the defeat.
The Difference
The second half. Central Arkansas shot 68% from the floor and 64.3% from three across the final 20 minutes.
Up Next
Austin Peay closes the regular season with a 1 p.m., Saturday contest against Bellarmine at Knights Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The Governors will then turn their attention to the ASUN Basketball Tournament beginning with a March 6 contest in the quarterfinals of the event. Game times are dependent on the Governors' seeding in the event.