SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – After dropping a 71-63 decision at UTEP in the regional-round game of the 2023 SoCal Challenge, Austin Peay State University's basketball team continued its trek out west and will play Tarleton State in its second game of the mid-season tournament at 4 p.m., Monday, at The Pavilion at JSerra in San Juan Capistrano, California.

The trip to the Golden State is the second in program history and first since the Govs played California – who joins APSU in the SoCal Challenge – during the 2011 College Basketball Experience. 

The 2023 SoCal Challenge is divided into two divisions, the Surf Division, featuring Bradley, Tulane, California, and UTEP, and the San Division, which features the Govs, Cal State Bakersfield, Sacramento State, and Tarleton State. The first round of the tournament was played with teams against the opposing division. With a win against the Texans, Austin Peay would play the winner of the Roadrunners and Hornets for the divisional championship; however, with a loss, the Govs are still guaranteed a game and would play the loser of the matchup Wednesday.

Austin Peay (2-2) is led in nearly every statistical category by DeMarcus Sharp. Sharp paces the Govs in scoring (15.3 points per game), rebounds (9.8), assists (23), steals (14), blocks (5), and made and attempted field goals (25-63), made and attempted free throws (11-13), while being second on the team with 36.8 minutes per game.

Sharp is in a 17-way tie for the most double-doubles in the nation with three, while his 9.0 defensive rebounds and 14 steals per game lead the Atlantic Sun Conference and rank sixth and eight in Division I, respectively. The Charleston, Missouri native also ranks in the top 45 across in the country in numerous other statistical categories including assists (29th), minutes per game (24th) and rebounds per game (44th).

Sharp is joined in the frontcourt by a pair of electric perimeter shooters in Dez White and Ja'Monta Black, who also have made their mark in the APSU record books through the early going.

White and Black both rank top 10 in the nation in three-pointers attempted with 43 and 41, respectively, while the pairing additionally ranks in the top 45 in triples per game with 33.25 and 3.75, ranking 14th and 44th across all of Division I.

Black tied the program record with nine three-pointers in the season opener against Life, while White tied the freshman record with seven in the Govs' most recent home game against Fisk.

Broadcast Information

Radio: ESPN Clarksville 104.1 FM – Brian Rives (PxP) / Jeff Matthews (Color)
TV: FloSports+

From The Jump

• Austin Peay continues its inaugural SoCal Challenge stay with a second-round matchup against Tarleton State.
• The trip to Cali is the second in program history for APSU and the first sicne a 2011 matchup against California.
• The Texans are the Govs fourth first-time opponent of the early season.
• The Governors are 2-1 against first-time opponents this season with wins against Life and Fisk and a loss at UTEP.
• Austin Peay dropped a 71-63 decision to UTEP, Friday, in El Paso Texas. DeMarcus Sharp and Dez White led the Govs with 14 points in the game and was followed by Ja'Monta Black's 13-point performance. Sharp also led the Govs with seven assists and six rebounds in the outing.
• Sharp leads APSU in nearly every statistical category through the early going including points (15.3 points per game), rebounds (9.8), assists (23), steals (14), blocks (5), and made and attempted field goals (25-63), made and attempted free throws (11-13), while being second on the team with 36.8 minutes per game.
• Sharp ranks sixth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game, eighth in steals, 29th in steals, 24th in minutes, and 44th in rebounds.
• Sharp is 29th in Division I with 23 assists this season which leads the ASUN. 16 of his assists have resulted in three-pointers, as he has accounted for 123 points 30.75 points per game  this season.
• Austin Peay has been lethal from long-range this season, as they have made nine shots per game from long range this season, while attempting 26.8 per night as well. Defensively, the Govs also garner one of the nation's best three-point defenses, as they are 38th in the country and second in the ASUN with holding teams to 24.7 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Governors rank 45th in Division I and first in the ASUN with just 9.5 giveaways through the opening four games of the season. They have two games with less than 10 turnovers and have not given the ball up more than 14 times.  In addition to their efficiency on the offensive end, they also garner a stingy defense that forces 14.75 turnovers per outing. The Govs' +5.2 turnover margin ranks second in the ASUN and 38th nationally. 

Scouting the Texans

Their Head Coach: Bily Gillispie is in his fourth season at Tarleton State where he has accumulated a record of 70-26. Prior to his time with the Texans, Gillispie coached at Texas Tech (2011-12), Kentucky (2007-00), Texas A&M (2004-07), and UTEP (2002-03). He was. A two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2005, 2007), one-time SEC Coach of the Year (2008) and led the Miners to the 2004 WAC Championship.

2023-24 Record: 2-2 (0-0 WAC)

2022-23 Record: 17-17 (9-9 WAC)

2022-23 Season Result: After falling to Utah Valley in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament, Tarleton State accepted an invitation to play in the College Basketball Invitational where they dropped a 72-70 overtime decision to Radford.

Their Season So Far: Tarleton State opened their season with an 80-50 loss at Virginia, before answering with back-to-back wins against FIU and UNT Dallas, Nov. 9 and 11, respectively. The Texans then dropped a 86-63 game at Bradley, Nov. 14, in their first game of the 2023 SoCal Challenge.

Returning/Lost/Newcomers: 6/14/13

Notable Returner: Jakorie Smith leads Tarleton State with 13.3 points per game after finishing third on the team with 9.8 last season across his 11 starts and 29 appearances. Smith has been held to single-digits in scoring in three of his four appearances, but had a 34-point outing at FIU, Nov. 9.

Notable Newcomer: DA transfer from Triton College, Devon Barnes is fourth on the team with 11.3 points per game and scored at least 11 points in each of the Texans' first three games but was held to just three points at Bradley, Nov. 14. 

Series History: First meeting

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For news and updates throughout the 2023-24 season, follow the men's basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men's Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.