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HomeSportsInstant Peay Play: APSU Govs playing solid Basketball as OVC play looms

Instant Peay Play: APSU Govs playing solid Basketball as OVC play looms

Instant Peay Play - APSU SportsClarksville, TN – With its win Saturday versus Liberty to take the St. Pete Shootout championship, Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team not only won the program’s first in-season tournament title in 18 years it also continued to show it is playing some of its best basketball of season with Ohio Valley Conference play right around the corner.

The Governors current six-game win streak – the team’s longest such streak since the 2015-16 season — has seen the team improve their overall record on the campaign to 8-4, the best start to a season after 12 games since APSU opened the 2000-01 season with a 9-3 mark.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball hosts Eastern Kentucky to begin OVC Play, January 3rd. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Basketball hosts Eastern Kentucky to begin OVC Play, January 3rd. (APSU Sports Information)

Austin Peay’s 5-0 record to start the month of December is also a first in program history, with a game at Arkansas on December 28th standing between the Govs and an undefeated month.

The Govs have been shooting the ball well from the floor in December, including a current five-game run of shooting at least 50-percent-or-better from the floor in each contest, which has seen the team’s overall shooting percentage for the year rise to .479.

Leading the way for the Governors has been sophomore forward Terry Taylor, who has scored a career-high 32 points twice during the current win streak and is averaging 18.4 points over that span, while shooting 62.9 percent from the floor.

But it hasn’t been a one-man show for the Govs, with seniors Zach Glotta (11.8), Steve Harris (11.6) and Chris Porter-Bunton (10.7) all averaging over double-figures this season, while Dayton Gumm (9.3), Jarrett Givens (8.3) and Jabari McGhee (8.0) are all averaging at least eight points per game.

Austin Peay’s defense has also been a factor, with the Govs out rebounding its opponents by an OVC leading 4.6 rebounds per game (39.2 to 34.6) while also forcing its opponents into 18 turnovers per game and an OVC best +4.58 turnover margin.

And finally, what makes these numbers and win streak even more impressive is the fact that only two games out of the current six-game win streak and three of the Govs overall 12 games played this season have come on their home floor at the Dunn Center.

The Govs may still have one final test at Arkansas before opening OVC play, but you can bet that the Govs have January 3rd circled on the calendar and their OVC opener at home versus Eastern Kentucky.

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