CLARKSVILLE—Austin Peay State University men's basketball team brings a three-game road trip to an end when the Govs take on Wofford, 6 p.m. (CT), Thursday, in Spartanburg, S.C.
Head coach Mike Young, among the all-time win leaders in the Southern Conference, saw his Terrier squad picked third in the SoCon preseason poll. Wofford is 3-7 through its first 10 games but the Terriers have faced a tough schedule against power conference foes Miami, LSU, Colorado and most recently TCU.
The Govs look to end a three-game slide and earn their first true road win in 2016-17. Senior Kenny Jones (8.0 rpg) is among the Ohio Valley Conference's most efficient rebounders, pulling in 24.5 percent of Austin Peay's total rebounds, the fifth-highest total in the OVC.
Scouting the Terriers
Wofford enters the contest looking to gain traction on the offensive end; the Terriers have yet to score more than 70 points against a Division I foe in 2016-17. That could be a by-product of youth; Young's youthful squad features six freshmen and sophomores averaging at least 10 minutes per game, including leading scorer Fletcher Magee (15.5 ppg) and defensive stopper Cameron Jackson (10 steals, six blocks). The Terriers have been dangerous from deep, hitting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc as a team.
Summing Up Fort Wayne
A game-opening 26-6 run got the Mastodons out to a hot start and they went on to a 98-58 win despite 20 points and nine rebounds from Jones. The Govs simply couldn't buy a bucket for much of the contest, shooting 25 percent (8-for-32) from the floor in the first half and 32.3 percent (20-for-62) for the game. Austin Peay did hit 93.8 percent (15-for-16) from the free-throw line, the Governors best team mark since an 11-for-11 night at Murray State, Jan. 10, 2009.
Last Time Out Against Wofford
The Govs topped the Terriers 84-77 in the first meeting between the two schools, Dec. 22, 2015. Two milestones were surpassed in that contest: Chris Horton became the second Governor with 1,000 career rebounds, joining Tom Morgan, and Josh Robinson set a Dunn Center record by hitting 14-of-14 free-throws. Robinson scored a game-high 30 points--his first career 30-point effort--to lead four Govs in double figures, while Magee scored 27 off the bench for the Terriers.
Keep An Eye On…
- Jones-ing for the Govs: After a season in Chris Horton's shadow, Kenny Jones is breaking out for the Govs. He's averaging 16.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg and hitting 61.0 percent from the floor over the last seven contests, and holding his own defensively with 1.6 spg.
- Strange But True: In Austin Peay's four wins in 2016-17, the Govs are shooting 60.9 percent from the free-throw line; in losses, Austin Peay is now at 76.7 percent (79-for-103) from the charity stripe, including a 15-for-16 showing at Fort Wayne that was best by the Govs since 2009.
- All three wins for Wofford have come in the friendly confines of Benjamin Johnson Arena; the Terriers are 0-4 on the road and 0-3 in neutral site contests. Meanwhile, the Govs are still seeking their first true road victory in 2016-17.
- Two players in the Ohio Valley Conference rank in the conference's top-10 in scoring and rebounding: Jones (14.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and preseason OVC Player of the Year Evan Bradds (21.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg).Â
- Austin Peay seeks its third straight win against a Southern Conference foe and 12th win against the SoCon in the Dave Loos era.
- The Govs have an average turnover margin of plus-9.8 in wins and minus-3.6 in losses.
They Said It
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 LetsGoPeay.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com. Postgame video interviews and other videos from around APSU Athletics can be found on our YouTube page (www.youtube.com/letsgopeay).
