» By MATT MCEWING – mmcewing@my.apsu.edu
The Governors traveled to No. 16 Murray State to take on the Racers in a packed CFSB Center on Saturday, Feb. 11, as the Racers were coming off of their first loss of the season to TSU, and the Govs were looking to end a three-game losing streak.
The Govs started off the game with a pretty solid defense, pressuring the Racers to make quick decisions early on in the game, forcing a few turnovers in the process.
Although APSU was able to get early points on the board, they could not stop the perimeter shooting of Murray State fast enough.
The Racers capitalized on five first-half three-pointers, most of which came from OVC Player of The Year, Isaiah Canaan, who finished with 23 points and six assists.
The Racers were able to build an early 21-point lead over the Govs, which was cut down to 13 by the end of a very emotion-driven first half that saw a skirmish between the coaches.
APSU’s late first-half rally was short-lived. The Racers came out in the second half scoring the first 11 points, and stopping an APSU comeback for the night.
Turnovers and rebounding is what beat the Govs in this game. In the first half alone, the Govs turned the ball over 10 times, totaling the amount they had the entire game in the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 7.
Murray State was able to out-rebound APSU 37-23. By turning quick rebounding into even quicker points, the Racers went on to win, 82-63.
Although APSU was handed their fourth consecutive loss, they did have some bright moments in the game.
Freshman guard Herdie Lawrence scored a career high 13 points, while sophomore guard Alton Williams sunk five second-half three-pointers in an attempt to rally APSU back. Williams ended the night with a perfect shooting percentage from behind the arc.
Both Josh Terry and John Fraley scored in double digits with 13 points on the night.
APSU will play host to Morehead State this Wednesday, Feb. 15, as they look to end their current losing streak and head into the OVC tournament on a positive note. TAS
