Memphis, TN – Led by a game-high 20 points by graduate student Dezi Jones, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) basketball team battled with No. 18 Memphis, but fell in its nonconference finale 81-70, Saturday at the FedExForum.
Jones’ 20 points – his second 20-point performance of the season and first since scoring 23 in the season opener against Life on November 6th – featured 15 in the second half alone. The Hannibal, Missouri native also grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in the effort, including seven boards across the final 20 minutes of the contest.
Austin Peay (7-8) and No. 18 Memphis’ (11-2) inner-state clash featured eight lead changes and four instances in which the game came to a stalemate.
The first lead change of the night came in the opening three-and-a-half minutes, when Isaac Haney became the third Gov – joining DeMarcus Sharp and Jones who scored the Govs’ opening seven points – to find the bottom of the basket on a three-pointer to put the Govs up 8-7 with 16:43 remaining in the first half.
Following Haney’s long-range basket, the Govs were held scoreless for over five minutes until a Sharp layup cut APSU’s deficit to 12-10 with the 11:32 mark in the opening frame.
The Govs trimmed the Tigers’ lead to one twice over the next three minutes, but the final instance was answered by seven-straight points by Memphis.
Jones and freshman Dez White made three of APSU’s next four baskets – all coming from beyond the arc. After White’s second triple of the night again made it just a one-point Tigers’ lead, Daniel Loos’ second score in a one-minute span gave APSU a 29-28 advantage 15 minutes into the contest.
Loos’ score was answered by four-straight Tigers free throws, and Ja’Monta Black brought the game back to even at 32 following APSU’s sixth and final triple of the opening half.
After exchanging scores, Memphis took a three-point lead into the halftime break after scoring the final points of the half from three-point range with 22 seconds remaining.
Nine of the 10 Govs that entered in the first half found the scoring column, with White and Black pacing APSU with six points after both recorded a pair of three-pointers.
The APSU Govs shot 14-of-34 (41.2 percent) from the floor in the first half, while limiting the Tigers to an 11-for-30 (36.7 percent) mark. The Tigers held the lead due largely in part to their mark from the charity stripe, converting on 13 of 15 attempts.
Austin Peay State University split its first two shots from the floor out of the half, with Jones connecting on the latter to cut the Govs’ deficit to two at 41-39 at the 18:27 mark and retook the lead at 44-43 following the under-16 media timeout off another Haney three-pointer.
The two Volunteer State foes exchanged scores over the next three minutes until the Tigers went on a 7-1 run, with five of those points coming via the charity stripe, and took a 56-49 lead heading to the midway point of the final period.
Memphis extended its scoring run to a 20-5 mark spanning from 13:14-9:04 to take a game-high 16-point advantage of 69-53 with 7:30 left to play.
Memphis scored the game’s final four points from the line to secure an 81-70 win against Austin Peay State University.
The Difference
Free throws. Memphis drew 20 fouls and went 27-for-31 from the line, while Austin Peay State University went 5-for-10 on 12 drawn calls.
Inside the Box Score
Dezi Jones led Austin Peay State University in scoring for the second time this season with his second 20-point performance and first since scoring 23 points against Life in the season opener.
Dezi Jones hauled in a team and season-high nine rebounds.
DeMarcus Sharp had a 14-game stretch of scoring 10-plus points come to an end against the Tigers.
DeMarcus Sharp led Austin Peay State University in assists with six. It marked the graduate student’s 12th time through 14 games leading the team in the category.
JaVar Daniel scored four points, hauled in two rebounds, and recorded three blocks – tied for the most by a Gov this season – in 10 minutes of play during his collegiate debut.
APSU fell to 6-1 when scoring at least 70 points this season.
With Ja’Monta Black’s three-pointer 1:03 into the game, he extended Austin Peay State University’s stretch of games with a triple to 681 games, a streak that began February 23rd, 2002.
Austin Peay State University’s seven blocks are tied for the most since recording eight at Eastern Kentucky on January 21st. The mark is tied with a seven-block performance against Southern Illinois earlier this season.
Coach’s Corner
With head basketball coach Corey Gipson
Opening thoughts… “This is the type of game that we wanted our guys to experience, we wanted this sort of friction before league play. As we always say, iron sharpens iron, and they most definitely made us better and gave us some things to look at before we head into our Jan. 4 game against our first ASUN opponent, [Bellarmine]. Hopefully in their hearts and in their minds, we made them better with the friction we gave them.”
On how the Govs got better today… “I thought we really got better before the game. Obviously, with the NCAA rule change making it to where two-time transfers can play right away, and we had another addition that we added as a late-add for the second semester… I just believe with the added depth, it gave us a chance in this game. You want depth going into league play and we did not have depth to start the season. Now that we have depth with length, size, skill, defense, offense, and really all facets of the game, now we can have rotation changes throughout the game that makes it to where we have legs throughout the game.”
On Dezi Jones… “He was the Dezi Jones that we knew he would be at some point this season. You never know when some things are going to come to fruition, but I have always been told that when you do it once, you can do it again. He has done that throughout his whole career, this is not foreign territory to him. All I can tell you is, boy, when he tastes blood, he is a true vampire.”
Follow The APSU Govs
For news and updates throughout the 2023-24 season, follow the APSU men’s basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men’s Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
Next Up For APSU Men’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team begins its second Atlantic Sun Conference season with a January 4th, 5:30pm CT game against Bellarmine in Louisville, Kentucky. Following their game against the Knights, the Govs travel to Richmond, Kentucky, for a January 6th, 6:00pm CT game against longtime rival Eastern Kentucky.
