Austin Peay 60, Jacksonville State 57: 3 things we learned

With just three games left in the regular season, Austin Peay basketball took the court looking for a win against Jacksonville State at the Dunn Center. 

These are two teams near the top of the OVC standings with conference tournament seeding on the line. In the end, the Governors (16-12, 11-5 OVC) came away with a 60-57 victory over the Gamecocks (18-11, 9-7 OVC) to complete the season sweep.

Here are three things we learned. 

Another incomplete game for Austin Peay

The Govs were locked in on defense to start the game, and held Jacksonville State to 7-of-25 from the floor in the first half, securing a 31-21 lead. If the Governors played with that same intensity the whole night, this game could've been a blowout.

But the team has a history of playing well in one half and poorly in the next. That happened again Saturday.

Jacksonville State used a 19-6 run to take a 40-37 lead with 12 minutes to play, and it remained a battle down the stretch. Austin Peay shortly regained the lead, but the game remained close into the final minutes. With a 59-57 lead with eight seconds to play, APSU guard Zach Glotta hit 1-of-2 free throws to give the Govs a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Jacksonville State shot 58 percent in the second half compared to just 37 for Austin Peay, but the Govs were able to come away victorious. 

Foul trouble limits Taylor

There's no doubt Austin Peay is a better team when Terry Taylor is on the court, but he hasn't been of service to the Govs the past two games. He picked up quick fouls against Tennessee Tech two nights ago and did the same against JSU, forcing Matt Figger to bench his star player in key spots Saturday night. He eventually fouled out in a close game down the stretch. The Govs came away with a win Saturday, but they'll need him to avoid the whistle if they hope to finish the season strong the final two games. 

OVC Outlook

With the win, Austin Peay is now 11-5 in the OVC. That's the most conference wins for the Governors since the 2010-11 season. It'll be a tight race for the third seed in the OVC tournament, but right now Austin Peay has it locked up, right behind Murray State and Belmont in the conference. The Govs will look to improve to 12-5 in the OVC with a win on the road Thursday against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. 

Reach Colton Pouncy at cpouncy@gannett.com or on Twitter @CTPSports.