By: Colby Wilson, Associate Director of Athletics Communications
CLARKSVILLE—Austin Peay State University men's basketball team will play back-to-back games against UT Martin, beginning Monday, Feb. 8 at the Elam Center against the Skyhawks in a 6 p.m. affair to end a quick four-game road trip for the Govs.
The Govs and Skyhawks will meet again on Thursday, marking the first time since 2011 Austin Peay will play the same opponent in back-to-back games.
Scouting the Skyhawks
It has been a difficult season for the Skyhawks, beginning with the untimely passing of head coach Anthony Stewart at the age of 50 on Nov. 15. The Skyhawks have dealt not only with the loss of a beloved leader but COVID-19 testing protocols have left them without a complete roster for the entirety of the season; between a pause in December and other protocols, only three Skyhawks have played all 17 games for UT Martin in 2020-21.
The Skyhawks are young–only center Hannes Polla is a senior–and still finding their cohesion as a unit. Of the four Skyhawks remaining from last season's roster, only Eman Sertovic started more than eight games and one of the four, Ajani Kennedy, sat out due to the NCAA's transfer rules. This lack of experience together would lead one to believe the Skyhawks would struggle in close games, but the opposite has been true; in games decided by two possessions or less, UT Martin is 4-0 this season, including Saturday's comeback win at Tennessee Tech.
The two players who have been most consistent for interim head coach Montez Robinson are a pair of newcomers. Junior forward Cameron Holden from Gulf Coast State College leads the Skyhawks in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) while College of Central Florida product Jaron Williams has come on like a freight train the last few weeks, averaging 19.8 ppg over his last five.
The biggest advantage for the Govs comes on the offensive glass. Headed by offensive rebounding savant Terry Taylor, Austin Peay grabs a league-high 36.0 percent of its offensive rebounding chances, at 12.4 offensive rebounds per game; UT Martin secures just 67.6 percent of its defensive rebounding opportunities, a league-low.
Last Time Against UT Martin
Jordyn Adams led six Govs in double figures with a 31-point outburst and Austin Peay led by as many as 24 points in a 92-81 decision from the Elam Center, Jan. 18, 2020. The victory gave the Govs four straight road wins for the first time in over a decade and pushed Austin Peay to its first 6-0 start to OVC play since 2010-11. This was also the night Terry Taylor moved into the top-10 in program history in career scoring, passing Trenton Hassell. Austin Peay did its damage at the line, hitting 21-of-25 free-throws and 14-of-16 in the second half to put the game away.
Keep An Eye On…
- A win would be Austin Peay's seventh straight against the Skyhawks, the longest streak for either school since 2006-09 (seven straight for the Govs).
- Over the last eight games, Taylor is averaging 24.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 54.9 percent shooting from the floor, 48.0 percent from three and 73.5 percent from the line.
- With his next start, Taylor would tie Western Kentucky's Taveion Hollingsworth for the nation's longest active starts streak at 119.
- Austin Peay is 8-0 this season when outshooting its opponent and 8-0 this season when holding its opponent below 45 percent shooting.
- The Govs are 3-0 on Mondays this season.
- Mike Peake is hitting 62.9 percent (44-for-70) from the floor over his last 10 games.
- Jordyn Adams is up to 12.8 points over his last eight games since returning from injury.
- The Govs are hitting 8.9 per night over their last eight games, at a 40.8 percent (71-for-174) clip. Carlos Paez is now at 50.0 percent (21-for-42) from three over his last 10 games, while Alec Woodard is at 50.0 percent (8-for-16) over his last four.
- A win would give Austin Peay four straight road wins against the Skyhawks for the first time since winning six straight from 2007-12.
- Milestone Watch—Career: Taylor's next made field goal will make him the first player in program history with 900 career field goals. He needs seven shots to pass Nick Stapleton (1998-02) for third all-time in field goal attempts, six made free-throws to pass Josh Robinson (2014-17) for seventh, two free-throw attempts to pass Wes Channels (2006-10) for sixth and four more to pass Will Triggs (2010-14) for fifth. Paez also needs eight assists to become the 22nd player in program history with 200 career assists.
- Milestone Watch—OVC: Taylor needs four points to pass Nick Mayo (Eastern Kentucky, 2015-19) for fifth all-time in OVC history in scoring.
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Govs in the time of COVID
For the 2020-21 season, Austin Peay State University athletics will allow approximately 35 percent capacity in the Dunn Center for home basketball events. There will be no lower bowl seating for fans during the season. The lower level will be limited to players, coaches, and game-day support staff only. Seats will be assigned to create a buffer between groups to ensure social distancing is maintained. Students seating will be located in sections AA-BB for both men's and women's games. Masks or facial coverings are required to enter the Dunn Center. They must remain in place at all times unless eating or drinking. Failure to comply with any of these measures, by fans or media, could result in immediate expulsion from the arena.
In the time of COVID-19, there is always a chance a game will not come to fruition or something else will pop up first. Be sure to monitor LetsGoPeay.com and follow @AustinPeayMBB on Twitter for the latest updates.
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 PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app. ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM/540 AM) will carry the radio broadcast locally and online.
