Austin Peay (15-7 | 7-2 OVC) at Jacksonville State (16-6 | 8-1 OVC)
Saturday, February 2nd 2019 | 4:00pm
Jacksonville, AL | Pete Mathews Coliseum
Clarksville, TN – Against the league leader, Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team looks to pick up a signature victory when it visits Pete Mathews Coliseum, Saturday afternoon at 4:00pm.
The Govs look to pick up their third straight win against the Gamecocks and create a four-way tie atop the league standings.
Jacksonville State is 8-1 in the league, with Murray State and Belmont joining the Govs at 7-2 through nine games.
Sophomore Terry Taylor is nearing a berth in the 1,000-point club; he’s just 73 points away entering Saturday’s contest.
About the Jacksonville State Gamecocks
The Gamecocks have climbed to the top of the league thanks largely to their defense, which has hounded opponents into 67.2 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor–both best in the league–and a robust, ball-hawking defense that forces 15.5 turnovers and garners 8.3 steals.
In a battle of strengths, much of the contest will be decided on the glass when Austin Peay has the ball; the Govs have rebounded 32.1 percent of their misses this season (third-most in the OVC), but Jacksonville State is just under 75 percent in defensive rebounding percentage. Creating second-chance opportunities for the Govs will be key.
APSU’s Last Time Out Against Jacksonville State
Thanks to a 70 percent night from the charity stripe, Austin Peay held off Jacksonville State for a 60-57 victory in the Dunn Center, February 17th, 2018 on Military Appreciation Night. Averyl Ugba posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Zach Glotta and Steve Harris both scored 11 off the bench and Chris Porter-Bunton with a career-high five steals.
Glotta hit six at the free-throw line down the stretch, including a crucial freebie with eight seconds remaining to push the Austin Peay lead back to three, which held up when a Jason Burnell three with seconds to go drew iron.
Keep An Eye On
A win would be Austin Peay’s third straight against the Gamecocks, their longest streak against Jacksonville State since winning 10 in a row from 2007-12.
Austin Peay has committed just 51 turnovers over the past five games.
The Govs have hit 40 percent from the floor in 19 straight games; the last time Austin Peay hit at least 40 percent in 20 straight games, the streak was for the first 29 games of the 2000-01 season.
A win would be Austin Peay’s third straight to open the month of February.
The Govs are 8-0 this season when holding opponents below 70 points.
Austin Peay would equal its best 10-game start in league play since 2008-09 with a victory.
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 PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app.
Postgame video interviews and other videos from around APSU Athletics can be found on our YouTube page (www.youtube.com/letsgopeay).
 men's basketball team looks to pick up a signature victory when it visits Pete Mathews Coliseum, Saturday afternoon at 4:00pm.){kind=link}