For the 3,497 fans decked out in black for the “Black Out Johnson Arena” promotion, it appeared sophomore Steve Peterson might do it again.
Peterson attempted a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation, but it was five free throws down the stretch in overtime that lifted Morehead State over Austin Peay, 68-65 in a rematch of the 2009 OVC Championship Saturday night at Johnson Arena.
“Everytime you play a Dave Loos coached team, it’s going to be a tough fight,” Donnie Tyndall said.
The Eagles (7-6, 2-1 OVC) had a four-point lead in overtime, but a free throw by Caleb Brown and a 3-pointer by Anthony Campbell tied it at 63. Maze Stallworth hit one of two free throws, and junior Kenneth Faried corralled the miss on the second and was immediately fouled. He hit both freebies for a 66-63 lead. Campbell sunk a pair of free throws with 30.4 seconds left to pull back within one, but senior Brandon Shingles hit two of his own to make it a three-point game and secure the win.
Austin Peay (8-7, 2-1 OVC) trailed by as much as 11 in the second half, but rallied and cut the lead to one with 5:29 to play on a triple by Campbell, who tied it a minute and a half later with another 3-pointer after a pair of free throws by MSU junior Demonte Harper, who scored 12 points.
“We kept saying they’re going to make a run and they did,” Tyndall said. “That’s what happens when you play a great-coached teams.”
Harper scored on a driving layup 1:46 left for a 52-50 lead, but Wes Channels sunk both ends of a one-and-one to tie it. The teams traded buckets for a 54-all tie before Stallworth’s driving layup with 26 seconds left made it 56-54, and Brown countered with a pair of free throws, sending the game to overtime when Peterson’s three-attempt rimmed off.
Faried scored 12 points, including a highlight reel alley-oop on a floating pass in the lane from Shingles mid-way through the second half. He had 12 of his season-high 19 rebounds in the first half, outpacing all of Austin Peay (11 first-half rebounds) and he had four blocks. Shingles had five assists and Peterson tallied four steals. The Eagles shot 42.6 percent for the game and pulled down 43 rebounds, winning the war of the glass by 11.
“I think overall our team is a great rebounding team,” Tyndall said. “Kenneth only got four offensive rebounds, but he cleaned it up on the defensive end.”
Campbell led all scorers with 24 points, including five 3-pointers. Channels had 19 points, and six assists and John Fraley scored 10 points and had seven rebounds. The Governors shot 35.6 percent from the field for the game.
Leading by one in the first half, the Eagles went on a 6-0 run, sparked by a floater from junior Sam Goodman and capped by a traditional three-point play by Faried. The Governors cut the MSU advantage to four, but Hill, who lead Morehead State with 13 points, was fouled shooting a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. He sunk all three charity tosses and Peterson had a tip-in to push the Eagle lead back to nine. A late jumper by Channels cut it back to seven at the intermission.
Faried was honored prior to the game for becoming the 29th player in MSU history to score 1,000 career points, which he did with a 15-point performance at South Dakota.
The Eagles, who’ve won three straight, played host to Tennessee State Monday (after press time).
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