Chris Porter-Bunton

Warren Central High School graduates Jared Savage and Chris Porter-Bunton combined for 20 points to help No. 8 seed Austin Peay continue its improbable run in the Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.

The Governors overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to stun No. 4 seed Tennessee State 74-72 in the quarterfinals. That moves Austin Peay (16-17) into tonight’s semifinal round against No. 1 seed Belmont. Game time is 6:30 p.m. at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. The game will be televised on ESPNU. The Governors are the first No. 8 seed to ever reach the semifinals in the OVC Tournament.

Savage (WCHS Class of 2015) finished with 13 points – 10 in the second half – and was 3 of 6 on 3-point attempts. Savage, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard/forward, logged 35 minutes, and added four rebounds, two steals and an assist.

“Jared has ice water in his veins, I think,” Austin Peay coach Dave Loos said in Thursday’s post-game news conference.

Porter-Bunton (WCHS Class of 2014), a 6-5 redshirt freshman guard/forward, tallied seven points and two assists in 16 minutes, the most among the Governors’ reserves on Thursday.

– Jeff Nations