APSU Basketball heads to Charleston to take on Eastern Illinois, Saturday

January 18, 2019 |

Austin Peay (13-5 | 5-0 OVC) at Eastern Illinois (10-8 | 3-2 OVC)

Saturday, January 19th, 2019 |  3:15pm CT
Charleston, IL | Lantz Arena

Clarksville, TN – The most arduous road swing of Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team’s Ohio Valley Conference season comes to a close in Charleston, 3:15pm, Saturday, January 19th as the Govs look to remain unbeaten in league play as they take on Eastern Illinois.

Austin Peay Men’s Basketball travels to Eastern Illinois Saturday looking to stay undefeated in the OVC. (APSU Sports Information)

The Govs have won four in a row at Lantz Arena; Saturday’s contest offers a chance to make that five straight, which would be the longest road winning streak for either side in the rivalry.

For those planning to make the journey north, inclement weather is expected in the Charleston area on Saturday.

The matchup will feature the last two Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honorees—Eastern Illinois’ Josiah Wallace and Austin Peay’s Jabari McGhee, the reigning winner.

About the Eastern Illinois Panthers

Eastern Illinois is adequate at almost everything but great at almost nothing; the Panthers rank in the NCAA’s top-100 in just one category (three-point field goal percentage, 36.7, 75th) and in the bottom-50 in just one category (three-point field goal defense, 37.6 percent, 320th). What both squads down from deep will likely play a large factor in this contest.

Wallace, who grew up a mere 40 minutes from Charleston, has emerged as the Panthers’ go-to player. The Olney College product, who ranked 15th in NJCAA in scoring last season at 21.2 points per game, has upped his output to 17.0 ppg since league play started, opening the OVC campaign with 27 points against UT Martin and 24 against SIU Edwardsville.

APSU Govs Last Time Out Against Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois raced out to a 20-8 lead and Austin Peay struggled to a 32.3 percent shooting mark in the first half of their 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal contest, putting the Govs down 40-26 at halftime.

Then Zach Glotta turned into an NBA Jam character, scoring all 21 of his points in the second half as the Govs raced back for a 73-66 victory at the Ford Center, March 1st, 2018. The Panthers were able to contain Terry Taylor in the post, but couldn’t keep him off the glass; he secured a career-high 17 rebounds to aid the Austin Peay effort.

Keep An Eye On

A win would be Austin Peay’s seventh straight win against Eastern Illinois, the longest streak either program in the rivalry since Austin Peay won 10 straight from 2006-09.

The Govs’ 15-game streak of shooting at least 40 percent from the floor is Austin Peay’s longest since a 16-game streak to close the 2016 season (Jan. 21-March 17).

A win would give the Govs a 6-0 start to league play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Three Governors–Jabari McGhee, Terry Taylor, Chris Porter-Bunton and Dayton Gumm–rank among the top-10 in the OVC in field goal percentage; no other team has more than two players on the list, and Eastern Illinois has none in the top-15.

A victory would be Austin Peay’s sixth straight road win in league play, its longest streak since a seven-game streak which spanned the end of the 2008-09 season and the start of the 2009-10 league campaign.

In three contests against the Panthers last season, senior Zach Glotta averaged 13.0 points on 63.2 percent shooting, hitting 2.7 three-pointers per game, securing 4.3 rebounds and adding 1.3 steals per contest.

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 eiupanthers.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).

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