Charlotte, NC – Led by Tate McCubbin’s 18 second-half points, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’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.
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.
Box Score Bullets
Austin Peay State University improved to 2-3 all-time against the Royals and 1-1 against them in Charlotte.
Austin Peay State University’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, on February 8th.
Austin Peay State University 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, APSU has locked up at least a top-eight seed in the ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship.
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Next Up For APSU Men’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team returns to Clarksville for a nationally-televised game and Senior Day with a Monday 6:00pm contest against Lipscomb at F&M Bank Arena. Senior Day festivities will begin at approximately 5:45pm.
