CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A team struggling to find ways to score will be facing the Ohio Valley Conference's most prolific offense, 7 p.m., Saturday, when Austin Peay plays host to rival Murray State.
The Governors come into contest amidst a three-game losing streak, failing to break the 70-point mark in 11 of the last 12 contests. APSU was outscored 76-64, Thursday night in an excruciating loss to UT Martin. Now 2-7 in the OVC the Governors are desperate in search for a league win. If the Govs are to have any potential chance of reaching the OVC tournament they will have to turn the tide immediately.
The Govs have shot less than 40 percent from the floor in each of the recent three home loss and 15 times overall this season--APSU is shooting just 40.4 percent from the floor this season.
Josh Robinson shook off a struggling start to finish with a team-best 15 points against UT Martin, going 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Chris Horton narrowly saw his double-double streak at five with a 14-point, nine-rebound performance against UT Martin.
Meanwhile, the Govs will play host to a Racers team that owns the nation's second longest winning streak—18 games (behind Kentucky's 22). After capturing the CIT last spring, Murray State was the overwhelming choice as the OVC West favorite in 2015. They have lived up to the advanced billing. The Racers come in at 20-4, 10-0 in OVC play after defeating Southeast Missouri, 82-72, Thursday night, in Murray. The Racers come in averaging nearly 80 points per game, shooting the ball at nearly a 50 percent clip.
OVC Preaseason Player of the Year Cameron Payne is the league's leading scorer at 19 points per game while also averaging 5.9 assists per game. Just a sophomore he already has eclipsed the career 1,000-point mark.
All-OVC forward Jarvis Williams comes in at 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while T.J. Sapp and Jeffery Moss both are averaging 11.2 points per game. In averaging 78.9 points per game, the Racers are shooting 79 percent from the floor and almost 40 percent from three-point territory.
-AP-
