Nashville, TN -- (Sports Network) - Todd Babington scored 24 points -- including 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc --- as Austin Peay ripped Tennessee State, 82-64, to capture the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title at Municipal Auditorium.

It was the fifth championship game appearance in the last six seasons for Austin Peay, which had last won the title in 2003.

Derek Wright added 13 points for the Governors (24-10), who held the tourney's top seed and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Drake Reed and Fernandez Lockett added 11 and 10 points, respectively, and each hauled in seven rebounds.

Austin Peay now has four OVC Tournament championships to its credit, and heads to the "Big Dance" riding a six-game win streak.

"From the beginning of the season, this is what we had our minds set on," said Wright. "We've been denied, and I'm just happy for my coaches and teammates."

Jerrell Houston poured in a game-high 25 points for sixth-seeded Tennessee State (15-17), which was riding a three-game win streak coming in after an 83-75 win over Murray State on Friday. Reiley Ervin added 13 points, while Darius Cox donated 12 in defeat.

"We got beat by a better team today," said Tennessee State head coach Cy Alexander. "Austin Peay played like champions. They played like a team that had not had an opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament last year, losing in a two-point game to Eastern Kentucky. They came into this game on a mission and they outplayed us. There is nothing else we can say other than they outplayed us for 40 minutes."

Both sides struggled at the outset, but Austin Peay put itself in the driver's seat with a 15-6 run midway through the first half. The Governors trailed 12-8 when Babington knocked down a three-point attempt to kick things off, and it steamrolled from there. Ernest Fields capped the rally with a lay-in at 10:23, giving Austin Peay a 23-18 edge.

The Tigers struggled from that point, and following a Cox jumper at 8:27, missed seven of their last nine shots heading to the break.

Austin Peay held a 40-25 cushion at intermission, and only inflated the margin from there.

Tennessee State never made it close in the second half, en route to shooting just 36.7 percent for the contest.

Game Notes:

The Tigers were playing in their first tournament final since 1998...Tennessee State has won this tournament on two occasions, but it has been 14 years since the program last captured the crown...Austin Peay and Tennessee State split a pair of close games during the regular season, and the Govs hold a commanding 39-22 lead in the all-time series.