Topic: John Fraley

Austin Peay State University freshman Chris Horton receives honor

March 4, 2013 |

Clarksville, TN –  Chris Horton, who became only the fourth player in league history to record 100 single-season blocked shots, has been named Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week.

It is the ninth time this season—the second most in OVC history—the Decatur, Ga., native claimed the weekly freshman award. «Read the rest of this article»

Govs crumble down the stretch; fall 75-70 to Jacksonville State in tournament opener

By Wade Neely | March 1, 2012 |

APSU Senior TyShawn Edmondson rises up to sink 2 of his 22 points in the game vs Jacksonville State

Nashville, TN – For the first 35 minutes of Austin Peay’s opening-round matchup against Jacksonville State Wednesday night, TyShwan Edmondson and the Govs could do no wrong.

Unfortunately for the Govs, the Gamecocks played better over the game’s final five minutes, erasing a six-point deficit as Brian Williams buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 33 seconds left and handed the Govs in a 75-70 loss in front of a stunned Municipal Auditorium crowd.

“We had a little lead at halftime,” Govs head coach Dave Loos said. “We talked about how important it was to come out and play with the intensity that we ended the half with. We weren’t able to do that.”

After both teams combined for just 13 points through the game’s opening five minutes, the Govs (12-20) seemed to find their rhythm midway through the period behind Edmondson.

The senior scored 19 of his game-high 22 points over the game’s first 20 minutes – shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and accounting for nearly half of his team’s points as the Govs took a 39-31 lead into halftime.

“I was just trying to be more aggressive,” Edmondson said. “I was just trying to help the team out.”

In the second half, however, Edmondson would go cold, making just 1-of-6 shots from the floor while committing four of his six costly turnovers.

As Edmondson’s shooting cooled, the Govs seemed to respond behind solid play from Melvin Baker, who finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting while tracking down 13 rebounds in his final game as a Gov.

Midway through the second half, it was Baker’s five consecutive points that put the Govs back in front until Tarvin Gaines’ tip-in with 10:51 remaining in regulation gave the Gamecocks a 53-52 lead.

After the teams combined for six lead changes over the game’s final 10-and-a-half minutes, the Govs appeared to pull ahead 67-61 on Baker’s jumper with 4:59 left in the game.

It would be the last field goal of the game – and the season – for the Govs.

“(Jacksonville State) changed defenses and started trapping around half-court,” Loos said of the game’s final few minutes. “We turned it over several times and then we threw it out of bounds a couple of times.”

In all, the Govs committed five of their 17 turnovers in that final, disastrous five-minute stretch.

“I thought for the big part of the game we played pretty well,” Loos said. “We missed some free throws but other than that I thought we played pretty well. (We) certainly wanted to play well in this tournament.”

Seniors John Fraley and Josh Terry closed their Govs careers with 10 and eight points each.

“(Austin Peay) really played well enough to win a game,” Gamecocks head coach James Green said. “I thought they came out and were as intense as any team we played this year. Obviously what Edmondson did in that first half was as about as great as you can play as an individual.”

Despite fielding a roster that had never played a game in the OVC Tournament, the Gamecocks (15-17) showed steely resolve down the stretch, forcing turnovers and tracking down key offensive rebounds – none bigger than Ronnie Boggs’ rebound which led to Williams’ go-ahead score.

“I believe Ronnie had a good drive but missed it,” Williams said. “But he kept fighting for it and he tipped it and then he found me on the wing. He made a good pass and I knocked it down.”

Williams finished as the Gamecocks’ leading scorer, scoring all of his 18 points in the second half.

With the win, the Gamecocks earned their first victory at the OVC Tournament since a run to the tournament semifinals in 2006.

The win also marked the first postseason victory since Green’s arrival in Jacksonville.

“If our guys work then we can build some tradition with this group of guys,” Green said. “But it won’t just happen. You don’t just show up for a game or five games or even a season. You’ve got to do it over and over like (Austin Peay) has.”

On the opposite end, the loss brought an abrupt end to a disappointing season for the Govs, who struggled through their worst season in 19 years and one of the worst in Loos’ 22-year tenure.

Loos did not offer a comment when asked about possibly considering retirement in the near future.

Instead, Loos returned questions to the end of the game and a frustrating year on the Govs bench.

“You can look at the last few minutes of this game,” Loos said. “And it was a picture of our season.”

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Box Score

Jacksonville St vs Austin Peay
2/29/12 – 6:10pm at Nashville, TN (Municipal Auditorium)

Jacksonville St 75

Austin Peay 70

John Fraley overcomes concussion to earn second team All-OVC honors

By Wade Neely | February 28, 2012 |

Clarksville, Tenn. — (Courtesy: Austin Peay Sports Information) The start of John Fraley’s senior season was as inauspicious as the beginning of his Austin Peay State University basketball career.

Fraley, who was redshirted in 2007-08 to acclimate himself to the Division I game, suffered a concussion in the 20110-12 season opening game at Middle Tennessee and proceeded to miss the Govs next nine games, a stretch that saw APSU go 1-8 without its big man. But the 6-8 local product recovered to produce the best season of his APSU career.

He was rewarded for that effort by being second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference, announced Tuesday, by the conference office.

Despite missing nine games this season due to a concussion, Govs senior John Fraley was named second team All-OVC Tuesday.

The Clarksville native leads the OVC in rebounding during conference games at 9.3 per game-to put his consistent rebound numbers in perspective he is second in both offensive and defensive rebounds. Fraley also leads the OVC in shooting percentage at 64.8 percent and is tied for third in blocked shots (1.8 bpg). His 13.5 scoring averaging in league games paces the Govs.

“John is really deserving and I’m happy for him to be rewarded with this after his five-year tenure,” APSU coach Dave Loos said. “When John came here, he was an athletic, thin guy that couldn’t play very long. The first thing he had to do was develop some endurance so he could play longer. He’s always been a very good rebounder, but he’s really developed an offensive game around the basket.

“I’ve not had any players that have started at one level and finished like he has and shown any more improvement than he has. It’s really fitting that he’s acknowledged this way.”

Since Fraley’s return the head injury, the Govs have claimed 11 of their 12 victories. In late January-early February, he rolled off three straight 20-point outings, including a career-best 31-point game against Tennessee Tech on a night when he went a startling 10-of-13 from the floor. He also had 17 rebounds, the most in his career. He had five double-doubles during league play, including a 25-point, 12-rebound effort in the Govs’ Jan. 12 home win against Eastern Kentucky, a contest where he was 10-of-12 from the field.

Overall, Fraley is averaging 11.9 ppg, shooting 60.1 percent from the floor, and 8.9 rpg. However, he is not listed in the overall statistical leaders because he missed too many games because of the concussion.

“He showed what I thought was true,” Loos said. “That he was the player we could least afford to be without. He bounced back after missing nine games and was really an important part of our team, both offensively and defensively, but certainly on the boards.”

Fraley came to APSU a project, despite his height, because he was still a basketball novice. He played for Heritage Christian Academy and put up superb numbers (23 ppg, 14 rpg) per game as a senior, but that was against lightly-regarded competition.

He redshirted his first season and worked on adding bulk and strength. As a redshirt freshman he played in only 23 games, averaging 2.8 ppg, But he moved into the starting lineup the next season and was the OVC’s second-leading rebounding in 2009-10, averaging 7.8 rpg to to go with 9.2 ppg. A year ago, he averaged 9.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg.

Govs hang on for 68-59 win over SEMO; clinch No. 6 seed in OVC Tourney

By Wade Neely | February 25, 2012 |

Clarksville, Tenn. – Entering Saturday night’s regular-season finale against Southeast Missouri, the situation for Austin Peay was simple.

Win, and the Govs would clinch the No. 6 seed in next week’s Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship.

Lose, however, and things would get a little bit quirky.

Luckily for the folks in charge of tiebreaking procedures at the OVC’s conference office in Brentwood, the Govs received strong outings from seniors TyShwan Edmondson and Melvin Baker in a 68-59 win over the Redhawks on Senior Night.

“I thought all four of (the seniors) really contributed,” Govs head coach Dave Loos said. “We had two guys who had really big nights scoring in TyShwan and Melvin. But what I hope didn’t go unnoticed was the defensive job Josh Terry did tonight. And John Fraley had 10 boards.”

With SEMO still looking to capture the third seed in next week’s tournament, the Govs (12-19, 8-8 OVC) received one of their most physical tests of the season with neither team ever leading by more than eight points until the final minute of regulation.

After a lifeless opening three minutes, the Govs seemed to respond to a timeout from Dave Loos, erasing a 7-2 deficit and ultimately cutting the Redhawks lead to 25-24 at halftime.

“He always gets mad about (the slow starts),” He just told us to pick it up. We are always out there talking to one another. Coach can’t go out there and play for us. We have to help one another.”

Out of the timeout, the Govs took advantage of a Redhawks defense that continued to leave Baker open for long jumpers.

As a result, the senior finished 5-of-9 from the floor in the game’s opening 20 minutes.

Baker would capitalize in the second half as well, adding 12 more points to finish with 22 for the contest.

“It was almost like with the defense that they were playing that he kept showing up open,” Loos said. “He was 5 for 9 at the half and I really thought he caught fire in the second half. He played a great game tonight.”

In the second half, however, the Govs began to slowly take control of the contest, hovering around a five-point lead for much of the second half before clutch shots from – guess who – Baker and Edmondson.

Baker’s corner 3-pointer gave the Govs a 57-52 lead with 2:33 to play and then Edmondson’s 3-pointer from NBA range 45 seconds later not only clinched the win, it clinched the sixth seed in next week’s tournament.

“I practice shooting shots from that deep all the time,” a smiling Edmondson said.

Ultimately, the Hopkinsville native turned in one of his best shooting performances of the season, knocking down 6-of-7 3-pointers while pouring in 25 points.

“We really needed him to come alive and he has recently,” Loos said. “He has played pretty well.”

And while Terry and Fraley might not have had the most eye-popping numbers Saturday night, they also played a major role in the victory.

“Everybody contributed to this win,” Edmondson said. “I’m proud of everybody. Even though Josh fouled out he was playing hard. John did a good job down there rebounding down there for us and kicking it out when he had opportunities.”

Leon Powell scored 16 points in the win for the Redhawks, (14-15, 9-7) who entered the final day of the regular season in position to finish third, but ultimately were leapfrogged by both Morehead State and Tennessee Tech.

With the win, the Govs avenged a 65-60 loss to the Redhawks on Jan. 26, setting up a first-round matchup with Jacksonville State on Wednesday in the OVC tournament.

The Govs won a tight 60-57 contest on Jan. 14 in the only regular-season meeting between the two schools

“It should be a fun and exciting game,” Loos said. “But (tonight’s performance) was really encouraging. We have got to take things one game at a time from here on out.”

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APSU Senior Night Gallery

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Austin Peay 68, Southeast Missouri 59

Southeast Missouri Redhawks vs Austin Peay Governors
2/25/12 – 7:30pm at Clarksville, TN (Dunn Center)

Southeast Missouri 59

Austin Peay 68

Govs play for OVC Tournament seeding in season finale against SEMO

By James D. Horne | February 25, 2012 |

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – It is no longer a matter of “if” for Austin Peay’s basketball team in reference to qualifying for its 28th straight Ohio Valley Conference basketball tournament. Now it is a matter of where the Governors will be seeded when the tournament starts this coming Wednesday at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium.

The Governors can be seeded as high as sixth and as low as eighth heading into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. regular-season finale against Southeast Missouri.

Austin Peay is coming off an 85-67 victory against UT Martin, a contest that saw five Governors score in double figures while as a team they shot 55.6 percent (30 of 54) from the floor. Three Governors reserves-Herdie Lawrence (19 points), Justin Blake (11) and Chris Freeman (10)-combined for 40 of those points.

It was significant in that both starting guard TyShwan Edmondson (five points) and Melvin Baker (zero points) were saddled with first-half foul problems. Edmondson eventually fouled out and Baker never could find his rhythm.

That was Austin Peay’s second straight victory, a modest streak for a Governors team that recently endured five straight losses. They would love nothing better to take even a little more momentum into the tourney.

To do that the Governors would have to keep Southeast Missouri on its uneven pace. The Redhawks, who at one time were alone in second place in the OVC race, have lost three straight games and five of their last seven, including four conference defeats. The are now tied for third at 9-6 (14-14 overall) with Morehead State and Tennessee Tech.

SEMO dropped a 69-59 decision to Jacksonville State, Thursday night, in a contest that saw the Redhawks lose three players to fouls as JSU shot 46 free throws.

Sophomore transfer Tyler Stone leads the team, averaging 14.4 ppg, while guard Marland Smith is averaging 12.4 ppg. Nick Niemczyk, a former teammate of Josh Terry’s at Three Rivers Community College, is at 9.3 ppg.

Govs clinch 28th-straight OVC Tournament berth, with blow out win of UT Martin

February 24, 2012 |

(File photo) APSU's Herdie Lawrence (22) and Justin Blake (32) were integral in the Govs' 85-67 victory over UT Martin that clinched their berth in the OVC Men's Basketball Tournament for a 28th-straight time

MARTIN, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s bench combined for 47 points as the Governors defeated UT Martin 85-67 in Ohio Valley Conference basketball action played Thursday night at the Elam Center.

The victory improved the Governors to 11-19 overall and 7-8 in the OVC. The Governors entered the  night needing either an Eastern Illinois loss or an APSU victory to qualify for their 28^th straight OVC tournament. Although EIU’s loss at Morehead State earlier in the night allowed the Govs to qualify, the Govs coaching staff chose not to inform the players to make sure they maintained their focus.

However, it took the work of the Governors reserves to energize APSU’s first-half effort. Trailing 12-5, APSU head coach Dave Loos turned to freshman guard Herdie Lawrence and junior guard Justin Blake. The duo sparked a 14-2 run, each scoring five points (both had threes during the stretch) to give Austin Peay an advantage it would never relinquish.

When UT Martin made a run to get closer, the Govs turned to another reserve, freshman forward Chris Freeman, who completed a three-point play to extend APSU’s lead back to five, 22-17.

By half’s end, the trio had 26 points-Lawrence 10 while Blake and Freeman each had eight-as APSU built a 43-30 lead.

With Will Triggs joining the fray in the second half, the bench scored 21 more points. But it was the starters, in particular center John Fraley and forward Josh Terry, who helped navigate the Govs through some treacherous territory.

When UT Martin whittled APSU’s lead down to four points, 49-45, it was Fraley who worked his way inside to extend the lead to six and then Terry hit a free throw to make it a seven-point game. But the Skyhawks hung close and it again took Lawrence and Blake to break the game open.

With APSU leading by six, 59-53, midway through the half, Lawrence knocked down a jumper before Blake’s only second-half three pointer extended the lead to 11. After UTM cut it back to single digits, Triggs knocked down a pair of free throws with 8:13 left to extend the lead back to 11, 66-55. UTM would never cut the deficit to single digits again.

Lawrence finished the night with a season-best 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Blake added 11 and Freeman a career-best 10. For the night Austin Peay’s bench outscored UTM, 47-10.

Fraley added 16 points and Terry 15 to five APSU five players in double figures for the first time since the Detroit game, last Nov. 23.

The Govs finished the night 30-of-54 (55.6 percent) from the floor.

Mike Liabo led all scorers for UTM with 27 points while Dane Smith added 16.

The loss dropped the Skyhawks to 4-26 overall and 0-15 in the OVC.

Austin Peay 85, UT Martin 65

Govs snap five-game losing skid; drop Youngstown State in BracketBusters matchup

By Wade Neely | February 18, 2012 |

Govs forward John Fraley goes up for a shot in the first half of Saturday's BracketBusters game against Youngstown State. The Govs snapped a five-game losing streak with their 71-68 non-conference victory.

On paper, Saturday’s Sears BracketBusters matchup between Austin Peay and Youngstown State wasn’t supposed to mean much.

Try telling that to Tyshwan Edmondson.

Coming off the bench for a second straight game, Edmondson bounced back for one of his better performances of the season, scoring 23 points as the Govs hung on for a 71-68 victory in the Dunn Center.

“We needed a win,” Edmondson said. “We have been losing a lot of close games that we haven’t been able to pull out at the end. Today we pulled it out and we held on and we got the win. It feels good.”

Mired in a four-game conference losing streak, the Govs looked lifeless early Saturday as the Penguins raced out to a 9-0 run just three minutes into the game, prompting Loos to call a quick timeout.

“I can’t remember exactly what I said,” Loos said. “I was just trying to stop the bleeding. We just needed to try and stop their momentum.”

Whatever Loos said, it seemed to have worked.

After Loos called a timeout, the Govs seemed to catch a spark behind the play of Edmondson and reserve big man Will Triggs – who provided high energy despite playing just five first-half minutes.

“I thought Will really brought it tonight,” Loos said. “He really got us going with his play on both ends of the floor. The rest of the team seemed to respond to his intensity.”

The Govs eventually trimmed the Penguins lead to 33-28 at the halftime break before making a run of their own in the second half.

After Edmondson’s 3-pointer with 12:39 to play cut the Govs deficit to 50-45, the Govs went on a 13-4 run over the next 10 minutes – seemingly poised to put the game away.

“Everybody started clicking (in the second half),” Josh Terry said. “We treated this game like a conference game tonight and I think everyone responded.”

The Penguins wouldn’t go away quietly, however.

Just when it looked like the game was in hand for the Govs, the Penguins sank back-to-back jumpers to trim the lead to 66-65 with 15.4 seconds left in regulation.

After Jerome Clyburn swished home 1-of-2 free throws, the Govs forced a Penguins turnover with 7.3 seconds left in the game.

Edmondson then sank his 22^nd and 23^rd points of the night at the free throw line, extending the Govs lead to 69-65 with eight seconds to play.

Kendrick Perry quickly raced down the court and rattled home a 3-point basket, putting the pressure back on the Govs at the free throw line.

Terry, however, sank both charity tosses for his 13^th and 14^th points of the night and Perry’s ensuing halfcourt heave at the buzzer missed the mark to give the Govs their first win since a 92-73 win over UT-Martin on Jan. 28.

As a team, the Govs shot 21-of-27 from the free throw line – 10 of which came from Terry – who was perfect on the night.

“We work on them every day,” Terry said. “We didn’t want to beat ourselves. We’ve done that before by missing free throws in a couple of games. We wanted to concentrate and go to the line and knock them down.”

The Govs also tracked down a season-high 51 rebounds with big men John Fraley and Melvin Baker hauling in 13 each.

Ball security also seemed to be an emphasis for the Govs, who had just 13 turnovers.

A number, Loos said, that was improved but could be even better.

“Ideally we’d like to keep it under 12 turnovers a night,” Loos said. “But we had so many second chance opportunities tonight it kind of made up for the turnovers.”

Perry’s 20 points led the way for the Penguins (14-13), who were OVC conference members from 1982 through 1988.

And while Loos said the team may have treated the Govs ninth BracketBusters appearance like a conference game, they didn’t have much of a choice otherwise.

“It wasn’t necessarily that,” Loos said. “We were kind of desperate for a good game. I think we needed a win and we needed a great effort. We only shot 33 percent but I think our effort made the difference.”

Austin Peay 71, Youngstown State 68

Youngstown St.

Name	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	Pts
A. Ward	35	3-9	3-8	0-1	2	3	3	3	1	0	3	9
K. Perry	35	8-14	4-7	0-0	1	3	3	2	3	0	3	20
B. Allen	36	3-12	3-8	1-2	0	0	5	2	0	0	1	10
D. Brooks	35	5-11	3-6	0-0	2	8	2	5	1	3	5	13
D. Eargle	36	4-8	0-0	6-7	3	10	0	1	1	4	2	14
M. Podolsky	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
F. Larson	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
D. Cole	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
S. Amiker Jr.	11	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	1	0	0	1	2
J. Chojnacki	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals		24-56	13-29	7-10	9	28	13	14	6	7	18	68
Percentages		.429	.448	.700			Team Rebounds: 4

Austin Peay

Name	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	Pts
J. Fraley	31	3-11	0-0	3-6	9	13	1	2	1	0	3	9
J. Terry	27	2-6	0-1	10-10	1	4	2	1	1	1	4	14
M. Baker	33	3-11	0-1	1-2	5	13	0	3	0	0	2	7
A. Williams	3	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
H. Lawrence	26	2-5	1-3	0-0	0	0	4	3	0	0	0	5
C. Freeman	8	2-4	0-0	4-4	1	1	0	1	0	0	3	8
W. Triggs	8	1-3	0-0	0-0	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	2
T. Greer	8	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
J. Blake	6	0-4	0-4	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. Clyburn	16	1-3	0-0	1-2	3	6	2	1	1	0	0	3
T. Edmondson	34	8-17	5-12	2-3	2	6	1	1	2	0	4	23
Totals		22-66	6-22	21-27	24	47	10	13	5	1	16	71
Percentages		.333	.273	.778			Team Rebounds: 4

Game Info

Technical Fouls:

None

Arena:

Winfield Dunn Center, Clarksville, TN

Attendance:

2,112

Officials:

Charles Russell, William Jacobson, Archibald Whaley

APSU-Youngstown State Photo Gallery

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Red Coat Society Induction

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Murray State bounces back from first defeat of the season, hands Govs 28-point loss

By Wade Neely | February 11, 2012 |

Alton Williams drives in the first half as Austin Peay was unable to overcome a high-powered Racer offense Saturday night in the CFSB Center.

Coming off their first loss of the season, Murray State entered Saturday night’s return game against the Govs eager to prove to the rest of the nation that the Racers are still the team to beat in the Ohio Valley Conference.

And, unfortunately for the Govs, the Racers had no problems proving that point as Isaiah Canaan scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the first half, fueling the Racers to a 82-63 blowout win over their conference rivals in the CFSB Center.

“This is a great rivalry,” Govs head coach Dave Loos said. “I just wish we had played a little closer. If we don’t play closer, this won’t be a rivalry any longer.”

Things started on a well enough note for the Govs (9-18, 6-7 OVC), who jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after early baskets from John Fraley.

The Govs extended their lead to 5-0 after Melvin Baker’s made free throw, but then went on the first of two prolonged first-half scoring droughts, allowing the Racers to go ahead on a 28-7 run and enjoy a double-digit lead for much of the first half.

“It seemed like the score stayed at 5-5 forever,” Loos said. “Given how they played it was probably a good thing for us.”

Eventually trailing by as many as 21 points, the Govs managed to trim the halftime deficit to 37-24 after a bizarre sequence saw Racers head coach Steve Prohm and forward Latreze Mushatt receive technical fouls.

After a Mushatt foul on Thomas Greer, Herdie Lawrence fell to the floor as a result of contact between the two, eventually resulting in a brief staredown between Mushatt and Lawrence that prompted Prohm to leave the sideline in an attempt to diffuse a possible dustup.

“I think it was way overblown,” Prohm said. “We have had some bad situations in college basketball and it’s the coaches job to make it right. I did that.”

Loos echoed Prohm’s explanation.

“It was not nearly as bad as it looked,” Loos said. “The first bit was accidental and there might have been some talk. I thought (Prohm) was trying to do the right thing.”

Melvin Baker would go on to convert a free throw as the Govs appeared to have some signs of life heading into the locker room.

After the two teams returned to the floor, however, another big Racers run buried any hopes of a comeback for the Govs.

After scoring on their opening possession of the period, the Racers would continue on an 11-0 run, ballooning their lead back to 24 less than three minutes into the second half.

“It certainly did not catch us by surprise,” Loos said. “They are a good team. We could not afford to give them any extra opportunities.”

Alton Williams – who provided positive offensive minutes in Monday’s loss at Belmont – was again a factor in the second half of Saturday’s game, leading the Govs with a career-high 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

“That was more of a function of my teammates looking at me and finding me on open looks,” Williams said. “I have been working on my game.”

Fraley and Josh Terry finished with 13 points each in the loss.

In the end, however, offensive rebounds and turnovers were too much for the Govs to overcome.

In all, the Govs allowed 17 second-chance points off of 17 Racers offensive boards.

The Govs also finished with 18 turnovers – their fifth straight contest with double-digit giveaways.

In addition to Canaan, the Govs struggled to contain Racers big man Ivan Aska, who missed the first meeting between the two teams with a hand injury.

The Fort Lauderdale native finished with just nine points and four rebounds, but provided matchup problems down low for the Govs.

“It was great to have him back (against the Govs),” Racers forward Donte Poole said. “It was good to have that presence and that leadership back against those guys.”

The win was a small measure of revenge for the Racers (24-1, 12-1) who had their 25-game home win streak snapped by the Govs a season ago

Conversely, the Govs suffered their third straight loss in the series and continued their tumble down the OVC rankings.

With the loss, the Govs fell below .500 in the conference for the first time since rallying back from an 0-3 start in January.

Coupled with Morehead State’s 58-45 win over Eastern Kentucky, the loss also means the Govs will need a win over the Eagles to continue to jockey for position in the middle of the OVC pack.

“We have three (OVC games) left,” Loos said. “I told our guys that we need all three of them.”

APSU at Murray State Photo Gallery

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Murray State 82, Austin Peay 63

Technicals: 3 MURRAYST ( L Mushatt 1, – Team 1 ) AUSTINPEAY ( H Lawrence 1 )
Officials: Johnny Pearson, Craig Murley, Todd Austin
Attendance: 8,587

Govs suffer worst defeat of season in 94-55 loss to Belmont

By Wade Neely | February 6, 2012 |

Nashville, Tenn. – For the second time in as many weeks, the Govs made a trip to Nashville for a rare Monday night game.

And, unfortunately for the Govs, a raucous road environment led to an uninspired performance for the second time in as many weeks as the Govs committed 21 turnovers in a 94-55 to future OVC conference member Belmont Monday night.

Playing a rematch of a game the Bruins won 77-67 in Clarksville on Dec. 21, the Govs (9-17, 6-6 OVC) never looked remotely competitive in the return matchup.

“There is nowhere to start,” Govs head coach Dave Loos said. “We were just beat in every possible way. We didn’t play with an enthusiasm from the get go and I have to be responsible for this. I didn’t have them ready to play in any way.”

After trailing early, the Govs were able to grab a 4-3 lead when Josh Terry swished home a pair of free throws 2:15 into the contest.

12 seconds later, however, the Bruins retook the lead and never trailed again, knocking home shot after shot, burying the Govs confidence along the way.

After 19 giveaways plagued the Govs in a 94-88 loss to Tennessee Tech last Thursday, turnovers once again were an issue for the Govs Monday night.

In all, the Govs finished with a season-high 21 turnovers, leading to 33 points for the Bruins.

“We weren’t executing offensively,” Terry said. “They were pushing up in transition and getting easy buckets. They were getting in the paint and working inside out and getting open looks.”

The Bruins also took care of the basketball – committing just one turnover in the first half as they raced out to a 46-25 halftime lead.

Terry led the way offensively for the Govs, scoring 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

Govs big man John Fraley recorded 10 points and tracked down six rebounds in the loss.

Will Triggs and Alton Williams – both of whom Loos started the second half in an attempt to spark a second-half rally – finished with eight points.

“That surprised me,” Williams said of his opportunity to start the second half. “But that just made me want to go out there and show that I can play. I didn’t want to let my coach or teammates down.”

Scott Saunders led the charge for the Bruins (18-7, 10-2 Atlantic Sun) scoring 18 points – six of which came from a perfect night at the free throw line.

As a team, the Bruins sank 35-of-66 field goals and made 14-of-18 free throws.

The Bruins also finished with four scorers in double figures and had a 24-to-8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

“It’s hard to tell anything about this game other than they gave us a pretty good lesson,” Loos said. “I don’t think we really competed obviously the way that we needed to. They (Belmont) are good but we just weren’t up to the challenge tonight.”

With the win, the Bruins and head coach Rick Byrd notched their 10^th win in 40 meetings against their future conference opponents.

Despite a huge game looming against potentially unbeaten Murray State in their next game, Loos stopped short of saying his team’s effort would return Saturday.

“I would hope so. But you would think that we would be ready to play tonight. This was a big game against a good team that had beaten us the first time. You would think we would show up with the right approach and right attitude…not so.”

Box Score

Austin Peay vs BELMONT
2/6/12 7:05 PM at Curb Event Center (Nashville, Tenn.)

Austin Peay 55

BELMONT 94

Govs come up short in shootout against Golden Eagles

By Wade Neely | February 2, 2012 |

Clarksville, Tenn. – After Monday night’s blowout loss at Tennessee State, Govs head coach Dave Loos said his team needed to make a commitment to playing defense before they could expect to win another game this season.

Unfortunately for the Govs, they added 19 turnovers to a shaky defensive performance, matching a season-high for most points allowed this season in a 94-88 loss to Tennessee Tech Thursday night.

Unlike Monday’s loss to the Tigers, the Govs energy appeared to be present from the opening tip, but instead it was the Govs offensive focus that was the problem.

“We really did not give ourselves a chance to win,” Loos said. “The effort was great but we did not give ourselves a chance to win. We just continuously turned the ball over and didn’t guard people the way we needed to.”

After the Govs (9-16, 6-6 OVC) raced out to a 12-6 lead just seven minutes into the ballgame, the teams began to trade baskets before the Golden Eagles stormed ahead just before halftime.

“I thought we played pretty well in the first half,” Loos said. “They got a significant number of more fast break points more than us because we keep turning the ball over. Our turnovers led directly to baskets…easy baskets.”

In all, the Golden Eagles finished with 27 points off of turnovers and eight second-half offensive rebounds to build a 10-point lead with 5:38 to play.

After battling down the stretch, the Govs capitalized on a wild sequence that saw APSU go on a 7-0 run in 15 seconds when Melvin Baker buried a 3-pointer and Jerome Clyburn stole the ensuing inbounds pass and dished back to back to Baker to cut the deficit to 90-88 with just over 20 seconds left in regulation.

It was at the free throw line, however, where the Golden Eagles ultimately put away the Govs, sinking 16 straight free throws to close the game.

“It was (frustrating) because we got to the point where if we put them on the line we knew they were going to make their shots,” Govs forward John Fraley said.

As a team, the Golden Eagles made 30-of-37 shots from the charity stripe.

The Govs had a solid night at the line as well – swishing home 24-of-30 shots.

Despite an increasingly physical second half that saw a total of four technical fouls called – one of which led to Govs guard Josh Terry’s fifth personal foul – Loos declined to comment on the officiating.

The loss spoiled a career night from Fraley, who scored a career-high 31 points, tracked down 17 rebounds and recorded four blocks.

“I felt like everyone was out there giving their best effort,” Fraley said. “We just weren’t playing (solid) basketball. We had so many turnovers – myself included – you can’t win games with that many turnovers. We didn’t set ourselves up to win.”

Baker finished the night with 17 points while Terry added 10 in the loss.

TyShwan Edmondson had an icy cold night from the floor the Govs, finishing with seven points while making just 1-of-12 shots from the floor.

Kevin Murphy, who scored 50 points in a win over SIU-Edwardsville Monday, finished with 33 points on 9-of-21 shooting to lead the Golden Eagles (15-9, 7-4).

Fellow guard Jud Dillard had an equally big night for the Golden Eagles, scoring 22 of his 29 points in the second half.

With the loss, the Govs dropped their fourth straight contest to the Golden Eagles, which evened the all-time series at 68 wins apiece.

Undoubtedly more frustrating for the Govs, however, was the fact that Thursday’s loss erased virtually any memory of the team’s five-game conference winning streak in mid-January.

“I thought we played hard tonight but the basketball wasn’t good enough to win,” Loos said. “If you want to position yourself right (for the OVC conference tournament) you have to win at home.”

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Box Score

Tennessee Tech vs Austin Peay
2/2/12 – 7:00pm at Clarksville, TN (Dunn Center)

Tennessee Tech 94

Austin Peay 88