APSU Men’s Basketball
November 18th, 2010 | Allen Arena |Nashville, Tennessee
A Rivalry Renewed: Bisons host Govs for first time in 48 years
Nashville, TN – After opening the season with a pair of road wins, Austin Peay State University’s basketball team will look to make it three in a 7:15pm, Thursday, tipoff against Lipscomb at Allen Arena.
Despite the two programs operating less than 50 miles apart, the time between meetings has spanned 48 years – the last contest coming in the 1961-62 season under Govs Hall of Fame head coach Dr. George Fisher. A lot has happened since then for both programs, the most significant has been Lipscomb’s climb into the Division I ranks and joining the Atlantic Sun. Under head coach Scott Sanderson, the Bisons own two regular-season titles, including 2010 where they finished 14-6 in the A-Sun.
Senior Josh Slater, along with Hodzic, were preseason all-conference picks and the Bisons were picked to with the league.
The Bisons opened with a 80-66 road loss at North Carolina in a game that was close until late, before returning home to down Stillman College, 103-78. Slater is the team’s leading scorer (19.5 ppg.) and rebounder (9.5 rpg), while Hodzic and freshman Robert Boyd are both averaging 15.5 ppg.
Austin Peay, meanwhile, has to be pleased with its modest two-game road win streak. While both wins have come down to the final minute, there has been a strong defensive effort and clutch shooting down the stretch. At St. Louis, it was junior Tyshwan Edmondson hitting a pair of free throws in game’s final seconds and at Chattanooga, it was senior Caleb Brown knocking down a deep three-pointer with 0.2 seconds left.
Junior Josh Terry and Edmondson were named the OVC’s co-Newcomer’s of the Week and did not dissapoint in the Govs 70-67 win at Chattanooga. Terry leads the Govs in scoring (17.5 ppg), followed by Edmondson’s 15.5 ppg.
Junior Anthony Campbell, the Govs leading returning scorer, had 15 points at Chattanooga, after scoring only three at St. Louis. Junior John Fraley has struggled from the floor, but is averging 9.0 rebounds per game. That effort has the Govs with a +10.5 rebounding advantage.
What You Should Know
The Series: This is the 67th meeting between Austin Peay, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, and Lipscomb, an Atlantic Sun member, with the Governors leading 40-26. In fact, it’s the first meeting since the 1962-63 season when the teams were members of the Volunteer Athletic Association. The Govs won the last four meetings, during the 61-62 and 62-63 seasons. This game is the first of a home-and-home series which sees Lipscomb come to Clarksville, December 7th.
