Cameron Holden produced team-highs of 14 points and nine rebounds for the UTM men’s basketball squad but Austin Peay exacted revenge with a 71-50 win over the Skyhawks at the Dunn Center.
Three days after UTM defeated the same Governors squad, Austin Peay came out hot and never trailed during this afternoon’s contest. Offensively, the Skyhawks (7-12, 5-10 Ohio Valley Conference) struggled to the tune of 33.3 percent shooting (16-of-48), including a 4-for-16 performance from three-point range.
Eleven different UTM players scored today but Holden was the only Skyhawk in double figures as he went 8-for-11 from the free throw line. Jonte Coleman (six points) was the next-highest scorer for UTM as he was responsible for two of the Skyhawk’s four 3-pointers.
Austin Peay (12-8, 8-6 OVC) placed four different scorers in double figures, led by Carlos Paez’s 17 points. Terry Taylor (16 points, 11 rebounds), Mike Peake (13 points) and Tai’Reon Joseph (12 points) also helped carry the Governors to the finish line.
Hannes Polla scored the first four UTM points of the game before a Jaron Williams driving layup at the 16-minute mark trimmed Austin Peay’s lead down to 9-6.
The Governors followed with seven unanswered points and after a Holden free throw with 12:44 left before the halftime break, the Skyhawks went scoreless for over five minutes until La-Quiem Walker canned a trifecta to make the score 24-12.
Anthony Thomas made a nice floater in the lane to pull UTM back within 10 points but Austin Peay accounted for the next 11 points of the game en route to a 37-18 halftime advantage.
Polla’s four points led the Skyhawks while Taylor was responsible for 14 points to top the Governors in the opening 20 minutes.
Ajani Kennedy converted a jumper in the paint to open the scoring in the second half, whittling Austin Peay’s lead down to 37-20. A three-pointer by Vinnie Viana at the 15:31 mark kept UTM’s deficit at 17 but that was ultimately as close as the Skyhawks would get the rest of the way as another lengthy scoring drought plagued UTM. The Governors outscored the Skyhawks by a 16-1 margin over a stretch of 6:10 to essentially put the game away.
UTM kept battling until the final buzzer, completing the contest on a 13-0 run. At one point, Holden unreeled seven consecutive Skyhawk points while Eric Rustin, Coleman and Thomas also provided scoring for UTM during the surge.
The Skyhawks go back on the road on Saturday, Feb. 13 when they take on Murray State. Tipoff from the CFSB Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (following the women’s basketball contest).
