Austin Peay (4-13) at SIU Edwardsville (5-12)
Thursday, January 12th, 2017 | 8:00pm CT
Edwardsville, IL | Vadalabene Center
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team will get its first challenge against an Ohio Valley Conference West Division opponent when the Govs travel to Edwardsville, IL, to take on SIU Edwardsville in an 8:00pm, Thursday, contest before a national audience.
The Cougars rank in the OVC cellar in three-pointers per game (4.4), steals (4.4) and assists (9.1), but boast one of the league’s stingiest defenses along the perimeter (31.4 percent three-point field goal defense).
CBS Sports Network will carry Thursday’s contest, with Jason Horowitz and Tim Doyle on the call. Fans in Clarksville can find the game on DirecTV Channel 221/DISH Network Channel 158/AT&T UVerse Channel 1643/Charter Spectrum Channel 303/Comcast Channel 720.
SIU Edwardsville Cougars
Austin Peay’s success against SIU Edwardsville will have to start on the inside; the Cougars have a stingy perimeter defense (31.4 percent three-point field goal percentage defense, including a stellar 20.8 percent mark in league play) but are close to the bottom of the league in total defensive field goal percentage (46.2 percent overall/48.2 percent against OVC foes).
Three of SIUE’s top-four scorers are hitting less than 40 percent from the floor, with only Jalen Henry (13.1 ppg, 49.3 percent shooting) among the league’s top-15 shooters.
Summing Up Jacksonville State
The Govs held the Gamecocks to 44.2 percent shooting and hit 50 percent from the floor in their own right, but a late 13-4 run by Jacksonville State dealt Austin Peay a 71-68 loss at Pete Mathews Coliseum. One of the most potent three-point units in the league, Jacksonville State was held to 5-for-17 from beyond the arc; Erik Durham, then ranked second nationally in three-point percentage, was held to an 0-for-5 mark from deep.
Last Time Out Against SIU Edwardsville
The first of six straight wins by Austin Peay to close out the regular season and propel the Govs to a tournament title, the Govs dispatched SIU Edwardsville 80-75, February 25th, 2016, at the Vadalabene Center. St. Louis native Josh Robinson led all scorers with 22 points, while Jared Savage chipped in 11 points in his first career start. The Govs turned a dozen turnovers into 19 points in last season’s victory.
Keep An Eye On
- Kenny Jones has shot at least 60 percent from the floor in 13 of 17 contests this season. Since conference play began, he’s averaging 18.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg, hitting 69.0 percent (20-for-29) from the floor.
- Junior Josh Robinson needs four points to pass Lamonte Ware (1987-89, 90-92) for 18th all-time and is two three-pointers away from passing Travis Betran (2012-14) for ninth all-time. He needs three free-throws to equal Howard Wright (314) for 10th all-time.
- Savage is averaging 13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg and hitting 52.9 percent from the floor since December 28th.
- Guards Zach Glotta and Tre’ Ivory have 3.6 and 3.2 to 1 turnover ratios, respectively.
- A win would give the Governors four straight against the Cougars since 2014.
APSU Govs Online
Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay’s Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all Governor athletics, as well as the Governor men’s basketball Twitter page (@AustinPeayMBB). Live stats will be available during the game at www.LetsGoPeay.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com
Postgame video interviews and other videos from around APSU Athletics can be found on our YouTube page (www.youtube.com/letsgopeay).
