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.