APSU Men’s basketball headed to the locker rooms for halftime facing a 14-point deficit while shooting 10-31 from the field. In what could of been the dying moments of APSU’s season, junior Zach Glotta hit five 3-pointers as the Govs went on to knockout a surging Eastern Illinois team of the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Championship with a 73-66 victory.
“When that second one went in I was feeling it,” Glotta said.
The Missouri-native finished 5-6 from three point land and 4-5 from the strip.
“Zach came out [of halftime] and he was lights out,” said APSU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt Figger.
APSU (18-13; 12-6) used a 47 point half to catapult the team into an OVC Semifinal berth. Senior Averyl Ugba aided Glotta with a 20 point performance while surmounting six rebounds and three blocks. Not fair behind was freshman Dayton Gumm with three 3-pointers and 12 total points.
APSU beyond the arc right now. #APSU #OVCTourney pic.twitter.com/qx2RD2XYbF
— The All State (@TheAllState) March 2, 2018
The Govs controlled the boards with 41 total rebounds, 27 of those being defensively.
“That is who we need to be,” Figger said. “A team that can punish the rim.”
APSU men’s basketball defeated Eastern Illinois 79-94 in the OVC Tournament Semifinals on March 1 in Evansville Indiana. Photo by Ben Little
At the break, Ugba led APSU with 14 points. The closest Gov behind the big man was Tre’ Ivory with five.
On the other end of the court, EIU buried 14 field goals and sat at 40 points.
“We were still on a hangover from Saturday [agaisnt Mu**ay State],” Figger said.
The Govs opened up their second half on a 26-11 run in 10 minutes before taking their first lead of the match at the 10:21 mark of the second half.
“Our kids have earned the right to be where they are right now,” Figger said. “It was all them.”
Glotta played the main role in the Govs surge with a 21-point second half while Gumm tallied 10.
APSU leading scorer and OVC Freshman of the Year Terry Taylor struggled to score, netting only six points, but inserted himself into the boards game by snagging 17 rebounds, 13 of those in the second half.
“He is a winner and the kid won a state championship last year,” Figger said. “Shots were not falling, and he said ‘Coach I am going to get every one of them.”
The Govs win places them into the semifinal with two-seeded Belmont. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. from the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
