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HomeSportsAPSU Basketball faces Morehead State Thursday to begin four game homestand

APSU Basketball faces Morehead State Thursday to begin four game homestand

Austin Peay (6-13) vs. Morehead State (7-11)

Thursday, January 19th, 2017 | 7:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Dunn Center

APSU Men's Basketball - Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN – With their fearless leader back on the sideline and a four-game road trip behind them, Austin Peay State University men’s basketball will make its 2017 home debut when the Govs host Morehead State to kick off a four-game homestand, 7:00pm, Thursday.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball faces Morehead State Eagles Thursday night at the Dunn Center. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Basketball faces Morehead State Eagles Thursday night at the Dunn Center. (APSU Sports Information)

The Govs picked up their first two true road wins of the 2016-17 season last weekend and look to carry that momentum back into the Dunn Center, where head coach Dave Loos will be back on the sideline following a four-game leave of absence as he continues chemotherapy.

A victory against Morehead State would bring the Govs back to .500 in the conference and could potentially vault Austin Peay into second place in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division; the Govs are currently tied at 2-3 with UT Martin and Southeast Missouri, who play Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville, respectively, Thursday night.

Thursday’s contest will be Austin Peay’s Student Welcome Back Giveaway Bonanza, with food, prizes and contests for students.

About the Morehead State Eagles

Morehead State EaglesA high-flying offense, Morehead State leads the OVC in scoring (81.7 ppg), and have a balanced attack predicated on passing (17.6 apg, first in the OVC and 13th nationally) and ball control (+1.9 turnover margin, 1.29 assist-to-turnover ratio).

Preseason All-OVC pick Xavier Moon has lived up to the moniker, averaging 15.2 ppg, 4.7 apg and 1.3 spg. He’s one of 17 players in Division I with a triple-double in 2016-17; he scored 25 points and added 10 boards and 11 assists against Central Arkansas, December 19th.

Summing up Eastern Illinois

Josh Robinson scored 36 points—helping secure his season’s second adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor—as Austin Peay swept its Illinois road trip with a 92-84 win against Eastern Illinois, Saturday.

The Govs shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) from the floor, including a 60 percent (12-for-20) clip from beyond the arc that was best by Austin Peay since 2014.

Last Time Out Against Morehead State

The Governors overcame a sluggish start (36.4 percent shooting in the first half) and got a 22-point, 9-rebound effort from Chris Horton but a 19-4 run early in the second half put the Govs in too large a hole to climb out of, with the Govs falling 75-65 at Johnson Arena.

Five Eagles scored in double figures, led by Xavier Moon (16 points), and Morehead State hit 55.0 percent (33-for-60) as a team.

Keep An Eye On

APSU Men's Basketball - Josh RobinsonRobinson (21.8 ppg) put some distance between himself and Murray State’s Jonathan Stark (20.6 ppg) in the OVC scoring race after Robinson’s 36-point outburst against the Panthers–the biggest scoring night by an OVC player in 2016-17.

A win would give Austin Peay its best start to OVC play since 2012 and snap a three-game losing streak to the Eagles.

In 13 of 19 games this season, senior Kenny Jones has shot at least 60 percent from the floor. He ranks fourth (60.1 percent) in the conference in shooting among qualified players.

APSU Men's Basketball - John MurrySince OVC play started, John Murry is averaging 17.5 ppg and 2.2 steals per contest, while maintaining one of the conference’s best free-throw shooting marks (21-for-26, 80.8 percent).

Only two players in the conference are averaging at least 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and hitting 60 percent of their shots–Jones (14.3 ppg/7.6 rpg/60.1 percent) and Preseason Player of the Year Evan Bradds.

Robinson needs two points to pass Maurice Hampton (2002-06) for 15th and two assists to pass Damarius Smith (2013-15) for 23rd all-time. At his current pace (21.8 ppg), he would break into the top-25 in single-season scoring sometime during the Tennessee State game (February 4th).

Follow 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).

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