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HomeSportsAPSU Basketball plays Tennessee State Tigers Saturday at the Dunn Center

APSU Basketball plays Tennessee State Tigers Saturday at the Dunn Center

Austin Peay (8-16/4-6) vs. Tennessee State (13-10/4-6)

Saturday, February 4th, 2017 | 6:30pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Dunn Center

APSU Men's Basketball - Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University head coach Dave Loos will get his first crack at win No. 500 when the Govs host Tennessee State, 6:30pm, Saturday, for the 2017 Coming Home contest.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball hosts Tennessee State for 2017 Coming Home contest. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Basketball hosts Tennessee State for 2017 Coming Home contest. (APSU Sports Information)

Fresh off a huge road win against Eastern Kentucky, Austin Peay looks to firm up its standing in the Ohio Valley Conference against Tennessee State, with the two squads entering play with identical 4-6 marks in OVC play.

This will be Austin Peay’s final contest against an OVC East Division foe; the Govs victory at Eastern Kentucky Wednesday night snapped a four-game losing streak against their East Division brethren.

About the Tennessee State Tigers

Tennessee State TigersAfter opening league play at 3-1, Tennessee State has lost five of its last six games in the conference, including four straight at home. The Tigers defense–which limited opponents to 64.1 ppg in non-conference play–has seen that number jump to 74.7 ppg in OVC play, including a season-high 93 points allowed last Saturday against Belmont.

However, the defense remains opportunistic, forcing 16.3 turnovers per game; Tahjere McCall leads the league at 3.0 steals per contest.

Summing Up Eastern Kentucky

Zach Glotta hit a three with 5.3 seconds left to force overtime and Kenny Jones took it from there, scoring eight of Austin Peay’s 12 points in the extra session to lead the Govs to an 83-81 win at Eastern Kentucky. Playing without Josh Robinson (eye), John Murry scored a career-high 27 points to lead five Governors in double figures.

Last Time Out Against Tennessee State

Austin Peay erased a 19-point second half deficit in the quarterfinals of the 2016 OVC Tournament, storming back from the brink to take a 74-72 victory against the Tigers, March 3rd, 2016. The Govs hit 61.9 percent (13-for-21) in the second half while limiting Tennessee State to 36.7 percent (11-for-30) from the floor over the final 20 minutes. Robinson led all scorers with 17 points, while Chris Horton chipped in 15 points, 12 boards, four assists and three blocks.

Keep An Eye On

A win would be head coach Dave Loos‘ 500th career collegiate victory.

Robinson (21.3 ppg), who missed Wednesday’s game due to an eye injury, maintains a slim lead in the OVC scoring race over Belmont’s Evan Bradds (21.2) and Murray State’s Jonathan Stark (21.0); he ranks 16th in the nation entering Saturday’s contest.

In 15 of 24 games this season, Jones has shot at least 60 percent from the floor. He ranks fourth (59.1 percent) in the conference in shooting among qualified players.

Since OVC play started, Murry is averaging 19.1 ppg and 1.4 steals per contest, while maintaining one of the conference’s best free-throw shooting marks (55-for-68, 80.9 percent).

The Govs have three players ranked in the league’s top-11 in steals since OVC play began: Jared Savage (second, 1.9 spg), Murry (seventh, 1.4) and Chris Porter-Bunton (t-11th, 1.2); only Morehead State has as many players among the league’s most proficient kleptomaniacs.

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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