Murray, KY – Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team departed the CFSB Center Tuesday night having learned two valuable lessons.
One is that Terry Taylor is going to go down as one of the greatest players in Ohio Valley Conference history.
Although that was already self-apparent, the senior put another notch in his status as one of the greats by securing his 1,000th career rebound and in the process, becoming just the fifth player in league history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career boards.
The other lesson is that even with a player as great as Taylor, it can be tough to overcome a unit firing on all cylinders like Murray State was in an 87-57 decision that went to the hosts.
Austin Peay State University’s early plan—let Taylor get buckets—was a good one; the Bowling Green native scored the first six points for the Govs, twice getting second-chance looks to go in the opening minutes as the Govs struggled to get going on the perimeter.
Murray State’s perimeter defending brought the Racers an early burst. Tevin Brown blocked a three and finished a dunk on the other end, followed by DaQuan Smith jumping a pass and taking it all the way for a layup.
This sequence kicked off a run that APSU would ultimately spend the rest of the game trying to recover from—the Racers took off on a 17-0 run that set the tone for everything that came after. The Racers built from there to take a 41-18 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, there were bright spots—Taylor passed his most recent milestone early in the second half, and both Carlos Paez and Tai’Reon Joseph reached double figures, hitting a combined 5-for-8 from downtown in the final 20 minutes.
But there will be more work to be done ahead of Murray State’s return journey to the Dunn Center, December 21st.
The Difference
Murray State owned the paint, doubling up the APSU Govs 52-26 on points inside. They outrebounded Austin Peay State University (34-25), committed fewer turnovers (11 to the Govs 17), shot better from the floor (59.6 percent to 39.6 percent) and got look after look in transition (16 fast break points, three for the Govs).
APSU Notably
Taylor has now posted a double-double in seven straight games dating back to last season.
Combined, the trio of Taylor, Paez and Joseph shot 53.8 percent (14-for-26) from the floor; the rest of the Govs were held to just 25.9 percent (7-for-27) shooting.
The loss is Austin Peay State University’s first league loss in December since 2016.
Joseph posted a career-high 12 points, his first double-digit outing as a Gov.
Paez reached double figures in his third straight appearance, finishing with 11 points; it’s his first three-game streak in double figures since January 6th-19th, 2020.
Milestone Watch—Career: Terry Taylor also became just the second player in program history with 400 career offensive rebounds, now standing at 401.
Milestone Watch—OVC: Taylor passed Kenneth Faried (Morehead State, 2007-11) to take sole possession of 18th in league history in scoring with 2,017 points.
Box Score
Austin Peay 57, Murray State 87
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 39 | 57 | |
| 41 | 46 | 87 |
Up Next for APSU Men’s Basketball
On the schedule for APSU Men’s Basketball it says their due for a visit from McKendree on Monday, December 14th, 2020 at 7:00pm CT in the Dunn Center; in the time of COVID-19 Coronavirus, there is always a chance that will not come to fruition or something else will pop up first.
Be sure to monitor LetsGoPeay.com and follow @AustinPeayMBB on Twitter for the latest updates.
