Austin Peay (4-5) vs. Murray State (3-4)
Saturday, December 9th, 2023 | 5:00pm
Clarksville, TN | F&M Bank Arena
Clarksville, TN – Wear red. For the 142nd time in program history, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) basketball team faces its oldest rival in Murray State when it hosts a Saturday 6:15pm contest on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.
It is a rivalry that began in 1941, has featured 15 postseason meetings, and has had 37 games decided by three or fewer points. It’s the Governors and Racers.
Austin Peay (4-6) is coming off its biggest blowout win of the season in a 98-44 victory against Midway on Tuesday. The APSU Govs posted a season-high 56.1 field-goal percentage while also tallying their best defensive field-goal percentage performance, holding the Eagles to just a 28.6 mark from the field.
Freshman Dez White led the APSU Govs with 22 points on five three-pointers in the win, his second 20-point outing of the season. He was followed in the scoring column by graduate student Ja’Monta Black’s 20 points.
One of the nation’s most prolific scorers, graduate student DeMarcus Sharp leads Division I with 80 made field goals, while ranking second nationally with 178 points. The two-way point guard additionally is seventh nationally with 27 steals, 16th with four rebounds, and 38th with 6.6 defensive rebounds per game. Sharp has scored in double figures throughout each of the Govs’ first 10 games of the season, while finishing as the leading scorer seven times.
The Racers (3-4, 1-1 MVC) has split its last two games, both coming in Missouri Valley Conference play, with its most recent outing being a 76-72 loss at Illinois State.
Rob Perry has paces MSU in scoring with 16.0 points per game, while Nick Ellington has led the Racers’ defensive unit where he ranks second in the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.3), first in rebounds per game (8.6), fourth and 76th nationally with 1.7 blocks per game, and seconds in double-doubles (two).
Saturday’s game will follow a 4:00pm contest between the APSU women’s basketball team and the Murray State Racers.
During halftime of the men’s game, Austin Peay State University will recognize 14 Governors greats into its inaugural Ring of Honor. This presentation also includes the program’s all-time leading scorer, Terry Taylor, whose No. 21 will be retired upon his official induction into the ring of honor.
Broadcast Information
TV: ESPN+ — Barry Gresham (PxP), Ethan Schmidt (Color)
All Austin Peay State University basketball home games, all ASUN contests, and select road games are broadcast on ESPN+. Broadcasts all begin at the top of the hour and feature a two-minute preview leading up to the game.
About Austin Peay Men’s Basketball
Austin Peay State University faces one of its oldest opponents in Murray State at on Saturday, on Gary Mathews Court. The game starts at 6:15pm.
APSU is 3-1 at home this season and defeated Midway, 98-44, in its most recent game.
Of the 141 previous meetings between the Racers, 37 have been decided by three-or-fewer points. The Racers lead such games, 19-18.
Austin Peay State University garners the Atlantic Sun Conference’s best scoring defense, holding teams to 65.1 points per game, which ranks 56th nationally.
APSU also has the most efficient offense in the ASUN, with a league-best 11.3 turnovers per game.
DeMarcus Sharp ranks in the top 50 nationally in nine different categories, including assists (51, 21st), double-doubles (four, 16th), field goal attempts (178, second), made field goals (80, first), minutes per game (36:43, 16th), points (19, 16th), rebounds (76, 50th), defensive rebounds per game (6.6, 39th), and steals (27, sixth).
Austin Peay State University rolled out its fifth different starting lineup in its last game against Midway, with DeMarcus Sharp, Ja’Monta Black, Dez White, Hansel Enmanuel, and Daniel Loos getting the starting roll.
Head coach Corey Gipson is no stranger to the Austin Peay-Murray State rivalry, having faced them five times as a player and six as an assistant coach for the Govs.
Gipson made one of the most memorable shots in the rivalry’s history with a game-winning three-pointer in a 66-63 win in Calloway County on January 11th, 2003.
About the Murray State Racers
Their Head Coach: Steve Prohm is 20-19 in his second stint as the Racers’ head coach. Prohm previously served as MSU’s head coach, 2011-15, before departing for Iowa State where he was the head coach 2015-21.
2023-24 Record: 3-4 (1-1 MVC)
2022-23 Record: 17-15 (11-9 MVC)
2022-23 Season Result: The Racers’ 2022-23 season came to an end in the Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinals when they, the No. 7 seed, fell to No. 2 Drake, 74-62.
Their Season So Far: The Racers began their season with wins against Midway and Tennessee Tech, before dropping three-straight contests to Western Kentucky, UNC Wilmington, and App State. MSU answered its losing streak with a 79-72 win to claim its first MVC win of the season, but dropped a 76-72 decision to Illinois State in its last outing.
Notable Returner: Rob Perry leads the Racers with 16.0 points per game and has scored at least 11 each outing this season. He had a season-high 21 points at Western Kentucky, on November 14th.
Notable Newcomer: Nick Ellington averaged 11.1 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds per game and tallied a double-double in each of the season’s first two games against Midway and Tennessee Tech.
Series History: 96-45, MSU | 32-29 MSU in Clarksville
Last Meeting: 68-60 MSU in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Follow The APSU Govs
For news and updates throughout the 2023-24 season, follow the APSU men’s basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men’s Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
Next Up For APSU Men’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball hits the road and travels north for a pair of back-to-back games, beginning with a Tuesday 7:00pm contest against Southern Illinois, followed by a December 16th, 2:00pm game against another long-time rival and former Ohio Valley Conference for, Western Kentucky.
