Austin Peay plays with "pure hearts", gets shorthanded win at Queens

Austin Peay forward Tate McCubbin booked 25 in Thursday's win at Queens.  (Photo:  Austin Peay Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – Austin Peay was not in the most favorable position Thursday night.

The Governors started the night 12-16 and a game below .500 in the ASUN. Star guards Tekao Carpenter and Anton Brookshire were unavailable for the game. To make matters worse, Queens sent out five of its seniors before the game, honoring them for the final time.

In the end, none of it mattered.

Three Austin Peay stars combined for 64 points and the Govs hit 14 threes while scoring over 50 points in a half for the fourth time this season, spoiling the Queens party in a 92-78 victory at Curry Arena.

“Let me tell you, this was one time this year I can honestly say we played with pure hearts,” Austin Peay coach Corey Gipson said after the game. “There was no individualism. It was all collective effort. It was all in unison. I’m thankful we were able to get to that before the season ended. Those guys really wanted this for Austin Peay.”

Austin Peay (13-16, 8-8 ASUN) quickly seized momentum. The Govs got an Isaac Haney triple almost 30 seconds into the game, only to see Queens counter with a pair of Malcolm Wilson buckets to take the lead at 6-5. After Queens took a 16-15 lead on a Kalib Mathews bucket, Austin Peay locked down the homestanding Royals. A 19-5 Governor run over a seven-and-a-half minute span put the Governors ahead by 13.

Queens (17-12, 10-6) used active defensive pressure to quickly flip the script as the first period drew to a close. The home side compelled a series of turnovers, using that pressure to slice the 13-point advantage to the visitors to just four at the half.

The Royals then continued their sizzling ways as the second stanza began. Chris Ashby splashed a quick triple to start the half, bringing Queens within a point. Leo Colimerio’s two free throws then put Queens back ahead, 37-35. The Royals tore off a 13-4 run to take a 49-42 lead four minutes into the second half.

Austin Peay almost immediately countered out of the first media timeout, scoring 14 of the next 16 points to pull ahead by five. Queens unfurled a 9-0 run of its own after falling behind by five, capped by a Jaxon Pollard bucket to put the Royals ahead by four with 9:26 remaining. L.J. Thomas put the Govs back ahead by a pair after two free throws with just over eight minutes left.

Queens appeared to have one final run remaining late in the game, getting a pair of Colimerio buckets to chip a nine-point Governors advantage to five with 2:52 left. Austin Peay would quickly snuff out the final charge.

Austin Peay tore off a 12-0 run from there, largely buoyed by free throws. The Royals missed four straight shots in the span, thwarting any remaining momentum. Tate McCubbin scored the final five points for the Govs, including a three late in the shot clock to plunge the dagger. The McCubbin three provided the last of 58 second-half points for Austin Peay.

“We grew from (losing at Bellarmine). We had amnesia,” Gipson said. “Queens fought very hard. This was a test.”

Queens head coach Grant Leonard quickly pointed to the Royals’ defensive struggles after the game.

“We gave up 14-for-25 from three,” he said. “I thought (on) all 25 of them, they were comfortable, 10 toes to the rim, and in rhythm. When you guard like that, you’re probably not going to win. I don’t think that we should be giving up 92 on our home floor, but it’s probably the second time. It’s unacceptable. 58 in the second half. 48 in the second half is more than enough to win a game, for sure. Giving up 58 makes it impossible.”

Leonard expressed disappointment that the Royals’ seniors – Kalib Mathews, Malcolm Wilson, Jaxon Pollard, Chris Ashby, and Colimerio – couldn’t leave the floor for the final time in the regular season at Curry Arena as winners.

“I feel like I let the seniors down, because that’s not the way I want them to go out,” Leonard said.

The impact of the Royals’ upperclassman group is inarguable. Leonard’s words brought home that impact.

“Start with Kalib. Five years, man,” Leonard said. “The growth he’s had as a person and human being here at Queens has been unbelievable. Chris three years, Jaxon two years, Malcolm two years, and Leo, I appreciate that he came here for his grad year. That’s not the way I wanted them to go out. Jaxon and Chris get another run back.”

“I’m sick because of Kalib. Five years here, man. I didn’t want him to go out like that.”

McCubbin led the Governors and all scorers with 25, hitting 7-of-15 from the deck and 6-of-12 from three. Thomas hit 10-of-11 free throws and finished with 23 after scoring just nine in the teams’ first meeting in Clarksville. Haney added 16 and hit five of his 13 shots. The Governors made 48.4 percent (30-of-62) of their tries from the field and hit 18-of-22 from the line.

Queens logged four double-figure scorers. Colimerio led the Royals with 20, collecting his 1,000th career point in his final regular-season home game. Ashby scored 18 and hit four threes, including his 100th triple of the season. Freshman forward Maban Jabriel contributed 13 on 4-for-6 from the field, while Mathews added 10 on 3-for-8 shooting. The Royals shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field but hit just 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from distance. Queens shot 77.4 percent (24-for-31) from the charity stripe.

Both teams begin the final week of the regular season Monday night. Queens travels to West Georgia to take on the Wolves. Tip time from Carrollton, Ga., is set for 7:00 (Eastern), with streaming coverage over ESPN+. Austin Peay welcomes co-league leader Lipscomb to F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville for a 7:00 (Eastern) tip with coverage on ESPN+.

AUSTIN PEAY 92, QUEENS 78

AUSTIN PEAY (13-16, 8-8 ASUN)

McCubbin 7-15 5-7 25, Haney 5-13 3-4 16, Thomas 6-15 10-11 23, Evans 0-1 0-0 , Lax 2-4 0-0 5, Daniel 3-3 0-0 6, Loos 0-0 0-0 0, Burries 3-6 0-0 8, Dawson 0-0 0-0 0, Hammer 1-1 0-0 3, Enmanuel 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 30-62 18-22 92.

QUEENS (17-12, 10-6)

Mathews 3-8 4-5 10, Cash 2-2 0-1 4, Ashby 4-14 6-6 18, Colimerio 6-11 8-9 20, Wilson 2-2 0-0 4, Mann 0-1 0-1 0, Shine 0-0 0-0 0, Jabriel 4-6 3-5 13, Nevill 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Pollard 3-6 1-2 7, Berman 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 24-51 24-31 78.

Halftime:  Austin Peay 34-30. 3-Point goals:  Austin Peay 14-25 (McCubbin 6-12, Haney 3-5, Thomas 1-1, Lax 1-2, Burries 2-4, Hammer 1-1), Queens 6-18 (Mathews 0-3, Ashby 4-12, Jabriel 2-3). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Austin Peay 36 (Thomas 6), Queens 32 (Wilson 7). Total fouls:  Austin Peay 23, Queens 14. Technicals:  Leonard (QUC).

Points off turnovers:  Austin Peay 19, Queens 15.  Points in the paint:  Queens 36, Austin Peay 32. Second-chance points:  Austin Peay 10, Queens 3.  Fast-break points:  Queens 27, Austin Peay 13.  Bench points:  Austin Peay 23, Queens 22.