Men's Hoops Edges Austin Peay in Overtime Instant Classic to Run Win Streak to 11

BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- In what could be dubbed an instant classic, Morehead State men's basketball shook off a huge early deficit and then weathered overtime to edge Austin Peay 75-74 at Johnson Arena Saturday afternoon.

In overtime, APSU's Terry Taylor missed the back end of a one-and-one with 0.9 seconds to go, the only free throw the Govs missed all day, and Eagle junior guard Skyelar Potter skied for the rebound to seal the victory. Potter led MSU with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Eagles (15-6/12-2 OVC) won their 11th straight game, having not lost in 2021, to equal the 2009-10 team for the second longest winning streak in program history. MSU also halted a five-game unsuccessful streak against the Governors.

Morehead State trailed 14-2 in the first six minutes and never led in the first half. The Eagles did not grab a lead until eight minutes left in the game and outscored the Govs 7-2 in the final 3:30 of regulation to get it the extra period. Alex Woodward's layup for the visitors with 0.8 left in regulation ultimately sent the game to overtime.

Besides Potter, freshman forward Johni Broome chipped in 19 points with eight rebounds and four blocked shots, while DeVon and Ta'lon Cooper each recorded 10 points on the box score. Taylor paced the Govs with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Jordyn Adams drained five three-pointers and scored 20.

KEY MOMENTS

- Ta'lon Cooper finally tied the game at 45-all with 12:40 to play in regulation on a three-pointer.
- APSU regained the lead and held a 52-49 advantage with 9:49 to go following Taylor's layup, but freshman guard Drew Thelwell came off the bench to hit one of the biggest shots of the night, a three-pointer to tie it at 52 with 9:20 left in the second half.
- Junior guard Jaylen Sebree canned his only three-pointer at the 8:07 mark, but it proved to be one of the clutch shots of the day too, giving the home team a 55-52 lead.
- The Govs led 65-60 with 3:29 left, but MSU tied the game in the next two minutes. Potter knocked down a three-pointer at 2:59 and Ta'lon Cooper tied it with an off-balance shot with 1:10 left.
- Austin Peay scored the first six in overtime to push ahead 73-67. DeVon Cooper started an 8-0 run, though, with a three-pointer. Broome made one of two free throws with nine seconds left for a 75-73 lead.
- DeVon Cooper was whistled for a blocking call on Taylor with 0.9 left. He drained the first free throw but fired long on the potential game tying charity toss.

KEY STATS

- The game was just the third overtime result for the Eagles in the last two seasons.
- Morehead State started the game shooting 1-for-6 but finished the night at 48 percent (28-of-58). The Eagles also hit 13 of their 15 free throws.
- The Eagles out-rebounded the Govs 40-24. MSU has now out-rebounded three straight opponents by double digits.
- MSU forced 13 APSU turnovers and turned it into 13 points.
- The bench scored 22 points for the home team, and the Eagles scored 42 points in the paint. That's six straight games with at least 30 paint points.

UP NEXT

- Morehead State can tie the program record for winning streak at 12 with a win in its next game. The Eagles travel to Nashville, Tenn., this week to face Tennessee State first on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.