CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Bryce Quinet scored a game-high 25 points to lead the University of Evansville men's basketball team in Sunday's exhibition opener at Austin Peay.
Box Score
Trailing by a 74-66 margin with 5:20 remaining, the Governors completed the game on a 13-0 run to finish with a 79-74 victory. Quinet lead all players with 25 points going 9-of-19 from the field. He recorded seven assists and six boards. Max Langenfeld connected on three 3-pointers on his way to 11 points while James Dyson-Merwe scored ten. AJ Casey fell just short of a double-double with nine points and nine caroms. Rashaud Marshall led APSU with 17 points.
Runs by both squads was the story of the day as the contest featured 16 lead changes. After the Governors scored to open the game, Bryce Quinet connected from downtown to give Evansville its first lead. Just over six minutes in, Austin Peay went up 15-11 for the first multi-possession lead for either team.
With 8:08 remaining in the first half, Austin Peay took its largest lead at 32-22. The Purple Aces quickly fought back going on a 9-0 run to get within one. Quinet got things started with five points while Langenfeld and Casey added baskets to complete the stretch. Following a basket by the Governors, Dyson-Merwe hit from downtown to tie the game at 34-34. Casey followed up with a 3-pointer of his own at the 4:36 mark. Over the final minutes, UE continued its run and would take a 43-40 lead into the break. In total, the Purple Aces outscored Austin Peay by a 21-8 margin in the final eight minutes of the half.
Another triple by Dyson-Merwe solidified a 46-42 advantage just over a minute into the second half. APSU scored the next four to tie the game before a bucket by Casey put UE back on top. The squads continued to swap the lead over the middle portions of the period where a runout by Quinet gave Evansville a 56-53 lead with 13:18 left in the game. In the span of 1:07, Austin Peay scored eight in a row to go up 61-56 as Talon Todd drained a pair of threes.
Evansville answered with six in a row over a 3-minute span to regain a 62-61 edge as Makuei Riek and Quinet each converted a triple. Junior Kemm and Caden Symons came in off the bench to score four points apiece to give the Aces a 74-66 advantage with 5:20 on the clock. Just when it looked like the Aces were set to cruise to the victory, the Governors had other ideas.
Over the final 5:20, APSI finished on a 13-0 run to pick up the 79-74 victory. Their defense forced UE to miss its final seven attempts while forcing three turnovers. UE committed 17 turnovers in the game while Austin Peay had 10. APSU scored 22 points off turnovers while limiting UE to nine. The Aces finished with a 41-38 rebounding advantage and outshot the Governors by a 46.6%-45.9% margin.
Exhibition action continues with a home game against Southeast Missouri State on Oct. 21.
