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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- The Morehead State men’s basketball team used an unconventional five-point play with less than two minutes remaining in Wednesday night’s Ohio Valley Conference game at Aaron Arena to score a 52-48 victory over Austin Peay.
The Eagles finished the game on an 11-3 run after senior Josh Terry put Austin Peay ahead by four on a lay-up with 3:23 remaining. Sophomore Drew Kelly’s bucket with 2:01 to play cut the deficit to two and set up an unusual series of events which swung the pendulum in favor of Morehead State.
Terry was originally whistled for an offensive foul with 1:43 left on the clock. After reviewing the play on the monitor for nearly 10 minutes, the game officials changed the infraction to a flagrant foul penalty 1 for what was deemed to be “an elbow above the waist.”
Morehead State senior Lamont Austin canned both free-throw attempts to knot the tilt at 45. Junior Marsell Holden then knocked down a three-pointer 13 seconds later to give MSU a five-point possession and a lead it didn’t relinquish the rest of the evening.
“Marsell’s three off a set play was huge, we made several big free throws down the stretch and we got critical stops when we needed them,” Morehead State Head Coach Donnie Tyndall said.
The Eagles improve to 15-13 overall and 8-6 in the OVC with their sixth win in the past eight contests, while the Governors fall to 9-19 on the year and 6-8 in league play with their fifth consecutive defeat.
The decision gives Morehead State a season sweep of Austin Peay and fourth straight victory in the head-to-head series. The Governors were picked first in this year's preseason conference poll.
“I’m really proud of my kids,” Tyndall continued. “This was a big road win for us. I thought we showed a lot of guts and toughness down the stretch. Austin Peay has a very potent offense, and it says a lot about our defense to hold them to 48 points on their home floor.”
Kelly finished with team highs of 11 points and eight rebounds despite picking up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. He connected on 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Freshman Deandre Mathieu added career highs of 10 points and six rebounds, while Holden drilled three triples for nine points and Austin made all six foul shots en route to eight points.
“Deandre is getting better,” Tyndall said. “He works very hard in practice and is a tough kid. He gives us some playmaking ability on the perimeter and puts pressure on the opposing defense. Deandre played well tonight. His six rebounds were impressive for a guard.”
The Eagles converted on a season-high 94 percent (16-of-17) from the free-throw line, while the Governors finished at just 47 percent (8-of-17) in the same department.
Austin Peay senior Melvin Baker tallied a game-best 17 points on 7-of-9 from the floor. He also recorded team highs of seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Classmate TyShwan Edmondson, who registered 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting off the bench, was the only other Governor in double figures.
APSU’s largest lead of six points came late in the first half. MSU’s biggest advantage of five points came in the game’s final five seconds.
“This was another hard-fought game between Morehead State and Austin Peay,” Tyndall said. “Every point was crucial tonight and, once again, the game came down to the final minutes.”
Morehead State wraps up its three-game road trip on Saturday at Bowling Green. Tip-off from the brand-new Stroh Center is set for 2 p.m. ET. The tilt is part of the 2012
Sears BracketBusters event.
