CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – With Christmas just around the corner, Austin Peay State University's basketball teams Ohio in a pre-holiday tilt at 7 p.m., Friday, on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.

Austin Peay (6-7) is coming off a 65-64 loss at Western Kentucky, Saturday, after entering Bowling Green, Kentucky on a three-game winning streak. The Govs have won 4-of-5 games on their new home court, including two-straight, with victories against Midway and Murray State, Dec. 5 and 9, respectively. 

A two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week, graduate student guard DeMarcus Sharp leads Division I with 101 made field goals and 240 field goals attempted. He also ranks fifth nationally with 33 steals, 14th with 236 points, and 23rd with 64 assists. 

Sharp has scored in double figures all 13 games this season and is second in the ASUN and 80th nationally with 18.2 points per game. He also has scored at least 20 points five times, and logged a season-high 33 points against Sacramento State in the 2023 SoCal Challenge, Nov. 22.

Joining Sharp in the Governors' backcourt is a premier three-point scorer in Ja'Monta Black, who is seventh in Division I with 44 made three-pointers who also ranks fifth nationally and leads the ASUN with 106 attempts from beyond the arc.

Friday's game will feature a pair of graduates on the sideline for their respective programs, as Corey Gipson, a 2004 APSU grad in the first year at the helm of his alma mater, takes on Jeff Boals, who is in his fifth season at the helm of his alma mater, which he graduated from in 1995. 

Boals is 84-51 as the Bobcats' (6-4) head coach and is three seasons removed from a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 4 Virginia in the tournament's first round as the No. 13 seed.

Led by a defense that ranks 25th in Division I with 16.1 turnovers forced per game and fifth with a plus-6.1 turnover margin per game, the Bobcats average 81.6 points per game and scored a season-high 108 points in a 108-28 victory against Defiance in their last outing, Monday.

Friday will be the fifth all-time meeting between Austin Peay and Ohio, and the first since a 85-82 overtime win for the Bobcats, Nov. 24, 2018.

Up Next

The Governors close nonconference play following a break for Christmas with a 6 p.m., Dec. 30 game against No. 23 Memphis, at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Broadcast information

Radio – ESPN Clarksville 104.1 – Brian Rives (PxP), Jeff Matthews (Analyst)
All Austin Peay basketball games are aired on 104.1 ESPN Clarksville. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tipoff

TV – ESPN+ — Barry Gresham (PxP), Ethan Schmidt (Analyst)

All Austin Peay basketball home games, all ASUN contests, and select road games are streamed live on ESPN+. Broadcasts begin at the top of the hour and features a two-minute preview leading up to the game.

From the Jump

• After two-straight games on the road which featured a two-point win against Southern Illinois and one-point loss against Western Kentucky, Austin Peay returns to F&M Bank Arena for a Friday contest against Ohio.
• Austin Peay is 4-1 throughout their first game at their new facility, F&M Bank Arena, and has won two-straight games, coming against Midway and Murray State.
• Austin Peay is 0-2 when playing on Friday's this season. The losses were at George Mason, Nov. 10 (67-45) and at UTEP, Nov. 17 (71-63). This will be the penultimate Friday game of the regular season for APSU, with the final being in the regular-season finale against Bellarmine, March 1 at F&M Bank Arena.
• DeMarcus Sharp leads the nation with 101 field goals and 240 attempts. Sharp also is 23rd nationally with 64 assists and fifth with 33 steals.
• Ja'Monta Black is seventh nationally with 44 made three-pointers.
• Ohio leads the all-time series against Austin Peay, 3-1, and won the last meeting in overtime, 85-82 in overtime, Nov. 24, 2018.

Scouting the Bobcats

Their Head Coach: Jeff Boals is in his fifth year at his alma mater where he has accumulated a record of 84-51. Prior to his time at Ohio, Boals was the head coach at Stony Brook for three seasons (2016-19) and went 55-41.

2023-24 Record: 6-4 (0-0 MAC)

Their Season So Far: After splitting its first four games, the Bobcats rattled off three-straight wins against Middle Tennessee, Brown, and Deaware before dropping home games to Youngstown State and Marshall. Following their first losing streak of the season, they defeated Defiance, 108-28, in their last time out.

2022-23 Record: 19-14 (10-8 MAC)

2022-23 Season Result: The Bobcats entered the 2023 MAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and defeated No. 4 Ball State, 90-70 in the quarterfinals. They then fell to No. 1 Toledo, 82-75 in the semifinals.

Returning/Lost/Newcomers: 11/4/3

Notable Returner: Jaylin Hunter was an Honorable Mention All-MAC selection last season after appearing in 33 games, making 32 starts, and averaging 13.2 points per game with 44.1 field-goal percentage. He currently leads the Bobcats with 15.3 points per game and scored in double figures each game this season until logging just three points against Defiance. 

Notable Newcomer: A graduate transfer from Creighton, Shereef Mitchell is second on the team with 13.6 points per game, and is making 49.5 percent of his shots from the field.

Series History: 3-1 Ohio | 1-0 Ohio in Clarksville | Ohio has won one straight.

Last Meeting: Ohio defeated Austin Peay 85-82 in overtime, Nov. 24, 2018 in Clarksville. 

Follow The Govs On Social

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.