CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Austin Peay Governors maintained their hold on first place in the Ohio Valley Conference, earning an 87-71 victory over Tennessee Tech Thursday night in the Dunn Center as Wes Channels scored 28 and Drake Reed added 23.

The Govs improved to 7-1 in the conference and 11-7 overall. Tech saw its record slip to .500 at 9-9, and 3-5 within the league as the Golden Eagles opened a four-game road stretch.

Daniel Northern notched his fifth double-double of the season and 19th of his career, topping Tech with 12 points and 12 rebounds. He also added three more blocked shots to his league-leading total. Will Barnes and Kevin Murphy also scored 12 points for Tech, each connecting from long range. Barnes was 4-for-4 outside the arc and Murphy was 3-for-4.

Alex Davis was the fourth Golden Eagle to score in double figures, contributing 10 points and seven rebounds.

Channels was 9-for-15 from the field on his way to a game-high 28 points. He also had seven rebounds and three assists, and single-handedly topped Tech at the free throw line. The Golden Eagles went a combined 6-for-9 at the line, and Channels was 8-for-9 at the charity stripe.

Reed, the leading scorer in the OVC, was 10-for-17 and finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. Anthony Campbell also hit twin figures, scoring 12 points, while Marcel Williams grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Governors broke open a one-point game over the final nine minutes of the first half with a 20-6 run to build a 14-point lead. APSU was on top by 10 at halftime, 37-27 after Tech scored the final four points.

The Govs maintained a double digit lead throughout the entire second half. Tech was able to pull to within 12 points during the first four minutes, but another run by the Govs, this time a 13-2 stretch, pushed the margin to 23 points, 57-34, on a layup by Channels.

The largest APSU lead of the contest was 24 points, 64-40, with 10:36 to play, before the Golden Eagles crept back to within 13 in the final four minutes. A 3-pointer by Murphy at the 3:24 mark made it 76-63.

The Golden Eagles were charged with only 12 turnovers in the game, while APSU had just 13. Rebounds were dead-even with 39 each. A major difference in the contest was the shooting accuracy. APSU shot 53.4 percent while Tech hit 38.6 percent.

Tech's four-game road stretch continues Saturday night with a visit to Tennessee State for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Tigers.