CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.?Arkansas State stepped out of conference and into a hornet's nest as Austin Peay State bolted out to a 24-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game and never looked back, beating the Indians, 92-71.
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ASU (12-15) couldn't hit from the field in the opening minutes, couldn't hold on to the ball and couldn't stop APSU (16-12) from hitting every shot. The Indians also couldn't match the Governor's intensity, according to head coach Dickey Nutt.
“We came out very flat and they were playing hard,” said Nutt. “We've made a habit of this lately, and it is something we need to correct immediately. We can't just keep spotting teams a big lead to start a game and try to fight our way back into it.”
The duo of Isaac Wells and Marcus Ardison did all they could to keep the Indians in the game, combining for 48 points and 22 rebounds while hitting 20-of-31 shot attempts on the night. The problem for ASU was that the rest of the team connected on just eight-of-33 from the floor.
Wells scored a career-high 26 points and had 12 rebounds in the loss. Ardison had 10 of his 22 points in the second half as ASU continued to battle despite the big hole dug for them in the first half.
“Isaac and Marcus did all they could to carry the team tonight,” said Nutt. “They just didn't get much help. The rest of the team had some good looks but the shots were just not falling for us, especially early. Missing shots early and turnovers really hurt us tonight.”
ASU committed a season-high 22 turnovers in the game that led to 45 Governor points.
While turnovers and first-half cold-shooting cost the Indians dearly, ASU still managed to climb back into the game in the second half.
APSU's lead jumped as high as 22 points at 64-42 in the second half before the Indians could begin whittling the deficit down. Up 15 after Drake Reed connected on a 12-footer, ASU began to chip away at the lead.
Yual Banks drained a 3-pointer after curling off a screen to cut the lead to 19. Banks would score 10 of his 12 points during a 21-9 run to slice the Governor's lead to nine at 73-64 with just 4:57 left in the game.
But APSU re-grouped and closed the game on a 19-7 run to win convincingly, 92-71.
The Govs were led by Maurice Hampton's 22 points, followed by Derek Wright's 18 points and Zac Schlader's 13. ASU owned the edge on the glass on the night, besting the home team 42-26. But APSU shot a season-high field goal percentage against the Indians. The free throw shooting in the second half, four-of-14, didn't help ASU's cause, either.
ASU returns to Sun Belt play on Thursday in a meeting against a surging Louisiana-Lafayette. The regular season finale is next Saturday at New Orleans before packing up and heading to the league tournament.
