Daytona Beach, FL – The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team was outscored 50-32 in the second half of Tuesday’s 79-65 loss to Bucknell in the Ocean Bracket Championship of the Greenlight Sunshine Slam, presented by Discount Tire, inside the Ocean Center. The Governors’ three-game win streak was snapped.
Cameron Copeland scored 15 points to lead five Austin Peay (3-3) players in double figures. Five Governors reached double digits for a second-consecutive day. Jalen Ware and Carlos Paez each scored 12.
Ware’s career-high in points came on 5-of-7 shooting and a 2-of-3 clip from beyond the arc. Paez was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Caleb Stone-Carrawell and Sean Durugordon each pumped in 11 points. Stone-Carrawell was 4-of-8 from the floor.
Durugordon grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for his first-career double-double. Ware pulled down seven boards. Paez dished out three assists.
The Governors used a 16-2 spurt in a five-minute spurt, including 13-0 run in three-minute span, of the first half to turn a six-point deficit into a 26-18 advantage with 4:54 on the clock. Austin Peay State University shot 4-of-6 from distance in the stretch. Copeland canned two of the four treys.
APSU twice led by nine points in the final 2:50 before halftime and took a 33-29 upper hand into the break on the strength of 50 percent (7-14) shooting from beyond the arc. The Bison were held scoreless for a 6:04 stretch of the first period.
Bucknell (4-2) put together a 17-6 spurt midway through the second half to pull away and led by double digits for the final 8:55.
Alex Timmerman finished with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and a 5-of-7 clip from the free throw line to go along with seven rebounds for the Bison. Xander Rice added 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 3-of-4 marks from 3 and the stripe.
Bucknell shot 57.4 percent (27-of-47) overall, 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from behind the arc, and 81.8 percent (18-of-22) from the line.
Austin Peay State University finished 33.8 percent (22-of-65) from the field, 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from deep, and 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the stripe. The Governors held edges in offensive rebounds (18-11), second chance points (13-12), bench points (26-20), and steals (7-6).
Next Up For APSU Men’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team returns to the Winfield Dunn Center for its next five games, starting Saturday when the Governors welcome Howard for a 3:00pm CT tip-off.
