Austin Peay (11-7, 5-0) at UT Martin (5-11, 1-4)
Saturday, January 18th, 2020 | 4:00pm CT
Martin, TN | Elam Center
Clarksville, TN – A season-long four-game road trip comes to an end Saturday when the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team makes the return trek to Martin, Tennessee for a rematch against UT Martin at the Elam Center.
After his season’s sixth 30-point night, with 32 against UT Martin in the previous meeting, Terry Taylor is now the nation’s fourth-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game; no Gov has averaged better than 23 points per game for a season since Nick Stapleton (23.1 ppg) in 2001-02, which was the last season a Gov finished top-10 in Division I in scoring; Stapleton finished seventh nationally.
The ascent of Carlos Paez and continued standout play of Jordyn Adams has taken some of the heat off of Taylor in recent weeks. Paez’s addition to the starting lineup has coincided with a 6-2 record and a considerably better performance from beyond the arc (35.2 percent), made possible in part because the Venezuelan is hitting nearly 48 percent from three as an individual and has a 3.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a starter.
About the UT Martin Skyhawks
Quintin Dove and Parker Stewart are the duo who have made everything go for UT Martin this season; while Dove was outstanding in the previous contest against the Govs–and has been a monster since league play began, averaging 21.6 points on 60.3 percent shooting with 8.6 rebounds–Stewart struggled against the Govs. Austin Peay State University can’t rely on him to have an off-night; he’s averaging 22.2 points in league play.
The Skyhawk defensive philosophy has been to outscore their opponents; when it works, it works but with UT Martin giving up 82.9 points on 49.9 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from three for the season, it takes a superhuman offensive effort, night-in and night-out, to make up for a defense that is statistically bottom-10 in the nation in a host of categories.
If the Skyhawks are hitting from the floor, disrupting the offense will mean getting the ball out of the hands of their playmakers, and that has been easier said than done in 2019-20. UT Martin has committed just 200 turnovers through 16 games, a mere 12.5 per outing, including five games with 10 or fewer miscues.
However, they’re last game with 10 turnovers or less was over a month ago, and the Govs hassled the Skyhawks into 18 turnovers in the Jan. 4 meeting in Clarksville.
Last Time Out Against UT Martin
A huge second half gave Austin Peay State University a comfortable 82-63 win at the Dunn Center, January 4th. Terry Taylor put up a monster 32-point, 12-rebound effort to combat Quintin Dove’s 30-point double-double outing for the Skyhawks.
On the other end, the Skyhawks went more than 10 minutes without a bucket to end any hopes they may harbor for a comeback. Austin Peay State University’s bench rose to the occasion, outscoring the Skyhawk reserves 24-6.
Keep An Eye On
A win would have the APSU Govs at 6-0 in league play for the first time since 2010-11.
Since league play began, the Govs are plus-6.2 in rebounding margin and plus-3.0 in turnover margin.
The next victory for Austin Peay State University would be the 1200th in program history.
UT Martin made just three three-pointers the last time they faced the APSU Govs, fewest by an Austin Peay opponent in 2019-20.
Freshman Jordyn Adams needs 22 points for 300 in his Austin Peay State University career.
A win would give Austin Peay State University a sweep of the season series for the third straight season against the Skyhawks.
Since the start of OVC play, Taylor is averaging 23.8 points on 55.6 percent (45-for-81) from the floor and 77.4 percent (24-for-31) at the line, with 10.6 rebounds.
The APSU Govs are averaging 16.6 per game over the last five contests.
After starting his career 4-for-25 from beyond the arc, freshman Alec Woodard has hit 7-for-11 from deep over the last four games.
If the Govs prevail at the Elam Center, it would give Austin Peay State University a four-game road winning streak for the first time since January 4th-29th, 2007.
Milestone Watch
Taylor needs three points to pass Trenton Hassell for 10th all-time in scoring at Austin Peay State University, and 22 points to take ninth place from Anthony Davis. With 12 made field goals, he would take over eighth all-time in that category and could move all the way up to sixth all-time in rebounds if he were to pull down 13, passing Ralph Garner, John Fraley and Tommy Brown in the process. He is 81 points away from becoming the first player in program history with three different 500-point seasons.
Tickets
Governors Courtside Seating returns for the 2019-20 season. Fans can contact the APSU Athletics Ticket Office for courtside seating availability and pricing. The VIPeay Hoops Experience, available to Black Tie Monocle Society members and above, also returns for 2019-20 after a successful debut last season.
For more information on joining the Governors in the Dunn Center this winter, to secure season tickets or to become involved with the Monocle Society, call 931.221.PEAY. You can also purchase tickets online at www.LetsGoPeay.com/buytickets; be sure to access the new 360-degree view of the Dunn Center when purchasing tickets.
Austin Peay State University Govs Online
Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay State University’s Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all APSU 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.
