Austin Peay vs. UT Martin
Thursday, December 4th, 2018 | 6:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Dunn Center
Clarksville, TN – Seeking its first 3-0 start in Ohio Valley Conference play since 2010-11, Austin Peay State University men’s basketball hosts UT Martin, 6:00pm, Thursday, in the Dunn Center.
The Govs carry a 71-31 record all-time against the Skyhawks, but look to return to their winning ways against a longtime OVC foe; UT Martin has won two in a row and six of the last seven meetings between the two, with Austin Peay’s lone victory coming in the 2016 OVC Tournament Championship game.
Thursday’s game, which will be carried on CBS Sports Network, is sponsored by Cornerstone Financial Credit Union. Foam fingers will be given to the first 600 fans in attendance.
Scouting the UT Martin Skyhawks
Although Fatodd Lewis and Matthew Butler have grabbed the headlines as UT Martin’s one-two punch for most of the 2017-18 regular season, junior Jailen Gill emerged as the leading scorer for the Skyhawks in both games to kick off the OVC schedule, averaging 17.0 ppg and hitting 14-of-16 from the floor.
Austin Peay’s advantage will come on the glass, particularly offensively; the Govs lead the OVC with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, while the Skyhawks are corralling just 68.6 percent of defensive rebounds available, ninth in the OVC.
If the game comes down to free throws, it could be to UT Martin’s advantage; the Skyhawks lead the league in free-throw shooting (76.6 percent), while the Govs, despite a recent uptick (67.0 percent over the last five games) at the line, remain mired at 62.4 percent at the charity stripe this season.
Last Time Out Against UT Martin
A 76-72 loss at UT Martin, February 26th, left the Govs unable to qualify for the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Skyhawks closed the game on an 18-8 run, aided by a 5:23 stretch that saw the Govs go without a bucket from the floor. Austin Peay is not sorry to see Jacolby Mobley gone from Martin; he scored a game-high 28 in the last meeting, including 20 in the second half.
Keep An Eye On
A 20-point or higher margin of victory would be the sixth such win for the Govs in 2017-18; the last time Austin Peay had six or more wins by 20 or more points was 1988-89 (seven of the Governors 18 wins were by 20 or more points).
In averaging a double-double (19.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg) on 60.5 percent (17-of-28) shooting against SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois, senior Averyl Ugba earned both OVC Player and Newcomer of the Week honors for January 2nd—the first Gov to pull double-duty since Tyshwan Edmondson (January 24th, 2011). He also earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors.
A win would give the Govs a 3-0 start in OVC play for the first time since the 2010-11 season and would push Austin Peay above .500 for the first time under head coach Matt Figger.
With a 7-2 home mark during the 2017-18 campaign, the Govs are one win away from their best home start since the 2009-10 season.
Ugba and freshman Terry Taylor became the first pair of Austin Peay teammates to post double-doubles in back-to-back games since February 10th-13th, 2016 when Chris Horton and Kenny Jones did so against Eastern Illinois and UT Martin. No pair of Austin Peay teammates has put up three consecutive double-doubles since electronic record-keeping began prior to the 1999-00 season.
Over the last five games, the Govs hold a plus-6.6 advantage in rebounding margin, which has led to a 16.0-8.8 advantage in second-chance points during that span.
The Skyhawks have used 10 different starting lineups through 15 games, second nationally only to Florida Gulf Coast’s 11 (in 17 contests).
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 PeayStats.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).