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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- The Samford University basketball team's five-game winning streak came to an end Saturday against the Austin Peay Governors as the Bulldogs' furious second-half comeback attempt came just one point shy, 74-73, on the road in the Dunn Center.
 
"I thought we played the last 15 minutes of the game like we're supposed to," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "If we had played the whole game like that, then maybe we would have had a different outcome. Austin Peay has the best rebounder in the country in Chris Horton and he proved it tonight. He finished with 14 rebounds and five offensive, and their entire team crashes the boards."
 
Despite trailing by as many as 15 points late in the first half, Samford (5-2) battled back to within three, 70-67, with 51 seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs' rally was fueled by senior forward Jamal Shabazz, who exploded for a career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.
 
Shabazz, Samford's 6-foot-6 native of Pflugerville, Texas, also knocked down a career-high five 3-point baskets on a stellar 5-of-7 shooting performance from beyond the arc.
 
With an off-balanced, driving layup from Josh Robinson, Austin Peay (3-4) extended its lead to 72-67 with 22 seconds remaining to play. Robinson finished the game as one of four Governors in double figures with 15 points.
 
On the ensuing possession, the Bulldogs' Shabazz was fouled while attempting a 3-point basket from the left flank and was awarded three free-throw attempts for the infraction. Shabazz, who entered the game with the team's best free-throw percentage at 91.7, drained all three of the attempts to cut Austin Peay's lead to 72-70 with 11 seconds to play.
 
The Governors were immediately fouled following Shabazz's free throws and Robinson continued his hot shooting on the other end by making both attempts.
 
On the final possession of the game, Samford trailed by four, 74-70.
 
The Bulldogs took a timeout and when play resumed Shabazz tried to get fouled while shooting a 3-point basket. He connected on the attempt at the buzzer, but Austin Peay stayed away from contact. Shabazz's late 3-pointer made the final score, 74-73.
 
"Our recipe for success this season has been defending, pressuring the ball and rebounding the basketball, and if we do those things, we have a good chance of winning every night," Padgett said. "Tonight, we didn't pressure the ball. They only had 11 turnovers and we were at least three feet off their guys every time we were in the press. Also, in rebounding the ball, no matter how much I yelled, nobody put a body on Horton the entire game. With a couple more rebounds, we might have won the game."
 
The Bulldogs' loss Saturday snapped their five-game winning streak. After a season-opening defeat at Louisville on Nov. 13, Samford streaked to consecutive victories against Auburn-Montgomery, Kennesaw State, Troy, North Texas and Idaho.
 
Austin Peay earned its third straight win. The Governors have been playing better in the last week with consecutive triumphs against Northern Colorado, Oakland City and Samford.
 
The Governors' Kenny Jones scored a career-high 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. His previous career high was 15, which he achieved Nov. 22 at Northern Colorado.
 
Samford finished with four players scoring in double figures Saturday. Shabazz led all scorers with 24 points, while Christen Cunningham and Matt Rose both followed with 13 apiece. Additionally, the Bulldogs' Darius Jones-Gibson tallied 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field.
 
Samford shot 49.1 percent from the field, while Austin Peay also shot well from the floor at 48.2 percent. The Bulldogs turned in a 42.9-percent mark from beyond the arc, shooting 9-of-21 from long range. The Governors finished 5-of-14 for a 35.7-percent tally from 3-point range.
 
"We're not going to beat anybody this season as an offensive team," said Padgett. "The proof positive is that we shot 49 percent tonight and only turned it over 12 times. We shot 43 percent from 3-point range and we still lost."
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs rekindle another Ohio Valley Conference rivalry with an in-state showdown at Jacksonville State to be held at the recently-refurbished Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Alabama.
 
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