» By TRENT SINGER – tsinger@my.apsu.edu
After suffering a tough road loss in Cape Girardeau to Southeast Missouri, the Govs returned home to beat the UT Martin Skyhawks, 92-73. Senior guard TyShwan Edmondson ended the night with 22 points and eight rebounds, along with senior center John Fraley’s 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The Governors’ 6-4 record in the OVC kept them in the top tier of the conference standings.
Throughout much of the game, the Skyhawks played well, despite being ranked last in the OVC.
The Governors rallied from slim margins on multiple occasions but never gave up the lead after taking it early on in the first half.
Along with the stellar play from Edmondson and Fraley, seniors Josh Terry and Melvin Baker also scored in the double digits combining for a total of 28 points and 11 rebounds.
As a team, the Govs were sufficient from the field, shooting 54.5 percent throughout the game. The Govs finished the game with a 19-3 run to cap off a great performance against another conference opponent.
Perhaps the highlight of the game was Fraley’s presence in the paint, where the senior center shot 9-14. After the game, Fraley spoke about the significance of coming home to beat the Skyhawks and regain confidence in the team’s morale.
“We’re home. We can’t afford to lose any more games,” Fraley said. “It was exciting, and it feels exhilarating to get that win.”
Fraley’s emotion was evident on the court, and it seemed to carry over and motivate his teammates as well.
The team gets another important home game against Tennessee Tech on Thursday. The resiliency will need to remain strong if the Govs plan to continue their success.
“He’s been harping about playing hard and playing tough,” said Fraley. “We’ve been resilient. Even in the games we lost, we played really hard.”
Going forward, Coach Loos continues to prepare his players by focusing on the fundamental aspects of the game.
“He prepared us by doing the little things, and that adds up,” Fraley said. TAS
