Austin Peay (6-5) at Murray State (6-4)
Friday, December 16th, 2022 | 7:00pm CT
Murray, KY | CFSB Center
Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team travels to Murray State for the 140th edition of the Battle of the Border on Friday, December 16th. The game begins at 7:00pm.
The game is televised online on ESPN+. Updates are also available on the official Austin Peay men’s basketball Twitter and Instagram Story accounts (@GovsMBB).
Game Information
TV (Internet): ESPN+
TV Talent: Todd Hamilton (play-by-play), Rob Cross (analyst)
Live Stats: letsgopeay.com
Twitter Updates: @GovsMBB
Instagram Story Updates: @GovsMBB
Series Information
Meeting: 140th
Overall series record: 45-94 (L2)
Series record at Austin Peay: 29-31 (L1)
Series record at Murray State: 11-52 (L6)
Series record at neutral site: 5-8 (L1)
Last meeting: #21/21 Murray State 91, Austin Peay 56 (Feb. 17, 2022; at Murray State)
Last Austin Peay home win: Austin Peay 74, Murray State 70 (Dec. 21, 2020)
Last Austin Peay road win: Austin Peay 76, Murray State 73 (Feb. 6, 2016)
Last Austin Peay neutral site win: Austin Peay 67, Murray State 50 (March 6, 2009; OVC Tournament semfinals; Nashville, Tenn.)
Last meeting at Austin Peay: RV/RV Murray State 65, Austin Peay 53 (Feb. 3, 2022)
Last meeting at Murray State: #21/21 Murray State 91, Austin Peay 56 (Feb. 17, 2022)
Last meeting at neutral site: Murray State 73, Austin Peay 61 (March 6, 2020; OVC Tournament semifinals; Evansville, Ind.)
First meeting: Murray State 53, Austin Peay 43 (Dec. 18, 1942; at Austin Peay)
First meeting in Dunn Center: Austin Peay 89, Murray State 78 (Feb. 7, 1976)
Head Coach Nate James vs. Murray State: 0-2 (L2)
About the Austin Peay State University Governors
The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team is coming off an 86-61 win over Lindsey Wilson, Monday, in the Dunn Center. APSU led from start to finish for the second-straight game, and scored the first 19 points in 7:33.
Sean Durugordon scored 18 points to pace four Austin Peay State University players in double figures. He was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line and added six rebounds. Elijah Hutchins-Everett and Cameron Copeland each ended with 14 points.
Hutchins-Everett shot 6-of-8 overall to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Copeland was 2-of-4 from deep and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Guy Fauntleroy scored a season-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go along with a season-high three steals. Caleb Stone-Carrawell dished out four assists, while Hutchins-Everett and Carlos Paez each recorded three.
Kelechi Okworogwo became the first Governor to total four blocks since Corbin Merritt against Milligan on December 5th, 2021.
Austin Peay State University shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) overall, 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from 3-point range, and 86.2 percent (25-of-29) from the stripe. The 25 made free throws were the most for the Governors since tallying 27 against Dayton on November 20th, 2021. The 29 free throw attempts were the most for a James squad since attempting 38 against Southeast Missouri on January 1st, 2022.
The Governors won the battle of the boards 37-27, including 15-10 on the offensive glass, and turned 21 Lindsey Wilson miscues into 28 points. Austin Peay State University also held edges in bench points (32-20), points in the paint (36-20), second chance points (18-8), and fastbreak points (22-8).
The APSU Govs led 48-23 at intermission on the strength of 48.4 percent (15-of-31) shooting in the first 20 minutes. Austin Peay State University shot 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from deep and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the line.
Durugordon, Hutchins-Everett, and Copeland each tallied eight points in the period, while Fauntleroy and Paez had seven apiece. The Governors’ largest lead of the night, 63-27, came with 16:03 to play in the game following a pair of Jalen Ware free throws.
The APSU Govs have not trailed in their last two games and have not faced a deficit in the last 97:50 of game action.
The Governors have won consecutive games against teams from the state of Kentucky after snapping a seven-game skid in such instances following the Governors’ 102-57 win over Kentucky Christian on December 6th. Including Friday. three of Austin Peay State University’s last four opponents are from The Bluegrass State.
Hutchins-Everett has averaged 12.0 points on 50 percent (9-of-18) shooting in two career games against the Racers.
Austin Peay State University has won three-straight games in December.
The 26 assists against Kentucky Christian were the most since recording that many against Oakland City on November 6th, 2018. The 58 rebounds were the most for the Governors in the Dunn Center since recording 67 against Southern Indiana on December 8th, 1975. The 23 offensive rebounds were the most for Austin Peay at home since pulling down 24 versus Eastern Kentucky on February 15th, 2020.
The 25 made free throws versus Lindsey Wilson were the most for the Governors since tallying 27 against Dayton on November 20th, 2021. The 29 free throw attempts were the most for a James squad since attempting 38 against Southeast Missouri on January 1st, 2022.
The Governors have shot better than 50 percent in three of their last four games.
Austin Peay State University is the only team in the nation to face the two tallest players in the country this season in Western Kentucky’s Jamarion Sharp (7-foot-5) and Purdue’s Zach Edey (7-foot-4). Including South Florida’s Russel Tchewa (7-foot-0), Bucknell’s Andre Screen (7-foot-1) and Noah Williamson (7-foot-0), and Lindsey Wilson’s Lucas Ribeiro (7-foot-0), the Governors have faced six 7-footers this year.
Drew Calderon posted career-highs in 3-pointers made (6) and attempted (11) in the win over Kentucky Christian.
Durugordon was named the ASUN Newcomer of the Week on December 5th. He became the school’s second player to garner the honor in three weeks after Shon Robinson claimed the award on November 21st.
Durugordon averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists against Western Kentucky and Tennessee State. He recorded eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists, on November 30th, in a one-point loss to the Hilltoppers in the Dunn Center.
Durugordon posted career-highs in points (24), minutes (40), field goals made (9), and steals (2) and tied a career-high with three assists, on December 3rd, in the Governors’ 77-61 win at home against Tennessee State. He also tallied six boards and a block against the Tigers.
Copeland has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games, including three contests of 15 points or more.
Austin Peay State University is 4-1 this season when Caleb Stone-Carrawell scores at least 12 points.
APSU has recorded 22 dunks in its first 11 games.
Paez is tied with Greg Franklin (1989-93) for sixth on Austin Peay State University’s all-time list with 358 assists.
The Governors are 9-1 in their last nine games when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points.
Over the past five seasons, APSU is 74-21 when holding a halftime lead.
Since the 2010-11 season, the Governors have compiled a record of 155-82 when scoring 70 points or more.
Austin Peay State University has made at least one 3-pointer in 648-straight games. The last time the Governors did not make a trey was on Feb. 18, 2002 against Morehead State.
The Governors have won four of their last five games when they make 10 or more 3-pointers.
APSU has won five of its last six games, including three straight, when recording 10 or more steals.
Austin Peay State University leads the ASUN Conference in free throws made per game (13.9). The Governors are second in the league and 52nd nationally in turnover margin (3.4) and third in the conference (63rd nationally) in turnovers forced per game (15.73) and (68th in the country) offensive rebounds per game (12.36).
Hutchins-Everett leads the league and is 83rd in the country in offensive rebounds per game (2.82). He is third in the ASUN in rebounds per game (6.8).
Paez, from Venezuela, is the team’s lone international player. Austin Peay State University has had a player from outside of the United States on its roster every season dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
Austin Peay State University Is
- 3-1 when allowing 60-69 points
- 5-0 when leading with five minutes to play in regulation
- 6-1 when leading with two minutes to play in regulation
- 5-0 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent
- 5-1 when shooting 40 percent or better;
- 6-1 when its opponent shoots under 50 percent;
- 5-1 when outrebounding its opponent;
- 3-1 when making 10 or more 3-pointers;
- 5-1 when making more free throws than its opponent;
- 4-1 when making 15 or more free throws;
- 4-1 when recording more assists than its opponent;
- 3-0 when recording 15 or more assists;
- 3-0 when scoring more points in the paint than its opponent;
- 3-0 in December.
APSU has won at least three-consecutive games
- In the Dunn Center
- Losing the tip
- On Mondays
- Allowing 60-69 points
- Leading with five minutes to play in regulation
- Leading with two minutes to play in regulation
- Shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent
- Outrebounding its opponent
- Recording more offensive rebounds than its opponent
- Making more 3-pointers than its opponent
- Sinking more free throws than its opponent
- Making 15 or more free throws
- Forcing 10-14 turnovers
- Recording 15 or more assists
- Limiting its opponent to less than 15 assists
- Scoring more bench points than its opponent
- Scoring more points in the paint than its opponent
- Scoring more second-chance points than its opponent
- Playing on ESPN+
- Playing in December
About the Murray State Racers
The Murray State Racers are coming off a 66-65 win over Chicago State on Tuesday after overcoming their largest home halftime deficit (42-27) in program history. The previous largest deficit overcome was 14 (38-24) against Austin Peay State University on February 12th, 2005.
JaCobi Wood scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half on Tuesday. He shot 8-of-11 overall and 4-of-6 from deep and the line. DJ Burns provided 18 points and 14 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive glass. He shot 6-of-8 inside the arc and 6-of-9 at the stripe.
Murray State, which trailed 30-8 11 minutes into the game, shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) overall, 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from 3, and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the free throw line.
Murray State leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks 44th in the nation in the fewest turnovers per game (11.5). The Racers also lead their conference in defensive rebounds per game (28.7) and offensive rebounds per game (10.5). They are 26th in the country in defensive rebounds per game.
Wood leads The Valley in assists per game (4.4).
The Racers have won 19-straight home games, which ranks seventh in program history.
Last Meeting
Then-No. 21/21 Murray State won at home against Austin Peay, 91-56, on February 17th, 2022.
KJ Williams ended with 25 points, one of six Racers in double figures. Burns was one of three players to score 11 points, doing so on 5-of-7 shooting inside the arc.
Murray State shot 64.3 percent (36-of-56) overall, 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from 3, and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the line.
Hutchins-Everett totaled 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He also was 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Stone-Carrawell had 11 points.
The Governors shot 31.7 percent (19-of-60) overall, 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from behind the arc, and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the stripe, including 9-of-10 after halftime.
Tip-Ins
Friday’s Battle of the Border is the 140th all-time meeting between Austin Peay and Murray State but first as non-Ohio Valley Conference members since January 29th, 1952. For 59 seasons (1963-2022), the Governors and Racers were members of the OVC. Austin Peay State University is in its first season in the ASUN, while Murray State joined The Valley.
Tickets
Single-game tickets to any of the Austin Peay State University Governors’ nine remaining regular-season home contests in their final season in the Dunn Center start as low as $10.00 and can be purchased:
- In-person by visiting the SS&E office inside the Dunn Center
- Online
- By calling 931.221.PEAY (7329)
