FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Austin Peay 102, Carver College 38
@FIU 74,
Jacksonville State 70
AUSTIN PEAY 102, CARVER COLLEGE 38
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Senior forward Terry Taylor reached a big milestone and Austin Peay State University men's basketball team took home a massive 102-38 win in the home opener against Carver, Friday, in the Dunn Center.
But the main takeaway—aside from that the Govs can handle an NCCAA foe that already has large losses against Division I foes on its record—is Taylor achieving a hallowed mark: 2,000 career points, becoming one of three players in program history to reach that total and the 19th player in Ohio Valley Conference history. And there's still a lot of season to play—some big names in OVC history are going to have to move down a spot by the time he's finished.
From the start, the game was Austin Peay's—three straight Reginald Gee three-pointers blew the game wide open near the 12-minute mark and after that, it was all Austin Peay. Such was the dominance of the Austin Peay offense that Carver did not post a run of back-to-back baskets without an Austin Peay bucket until after the 16-minute mark in the second half.
That was mere minutes after Taylor entered immortality—with 18:44 to go in the half, he took an Alec Woodard pass from three-quarters of the court away and laid it in for two points, the 2000th and 2001st of his career. He would exit not long after that, game firmly in hand for the Govs, and with his streak of double-doubles now at six straight games.
In an early-season non-conference game that gets out of hand, it's an optimal time to rest your stars, and head coach Matt Figger took advantage, getting 10 players at least 10 minutes of action. That also led to plenty of touches to go around, with Gee (career-high 20 points to lead all scorers) getting plenty of looks to lead six Govs in double figures.
FIU 74, JACKSONVILLE STATE 70
MIAMI - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team fell in the first of a two-game set to Florida International on Friday, falling 74-70 at Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
Late turnovers and no field goals in the final five minutes of the game doomed the Gamecocks (3-2). On the other end of the court, the Panthers (4-0) overcame an eight-point deficit and outscored Jax State 16-6 with the help of four JSU turnovers after the second period's 5:02 mark.
The momentum was in Jacksonville State's favor late. Junior Jalen Finch hit a step-back jumper to extend the JSU lead to a game-high eight points with 5:15 to play, but things cooled off for the Gamecocks following the shot.
Jax State managed just four points from that point on, going 4-for-7 from the charity stripe, while FIU hit four field goals and eight free throws. Junior guard Antonio Daye, who tallied a career-high 28 points Friday, scored 11 of the Panthers' final 14 points.
The Gamecocks scored 35 points in each half. Senior guard Darian Adams tied his career-high with 20 points, hitting seven of 15 attempts and going 2-for-2 from the line. Of his seven baskets, four came from beyond the arc.
Finch recorded his second double-digit scoring effort in a row with 16 points, and Demaree King pitched in 10 points on three buckets and a pair of free throws.
After a slow start to the game, outscored 11-0 through the first four minutes, Jacksonville State adjusted to FIU's press defense and began putting points on the board. Adams carried the offense over the next 16 minutes and led Jax State in scoring with 14 points. The senior hit a pair of 3-pointers and took advantage of shots in the paint, going 3-for-5 inside the arc with a pair of free throws.
The Gamecocks outscored the Panthers 9-7 through the final five minutes of the first period to pull within three, 38-35, before halftime.