CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Coming off its final extended road trip of the nonconference season, Austin Peay State University's basketball team returns to the confines of F&M Bank Arena when it hosts ETSU in a 7 p.m., Friday game on Gary Mathews Court.

Austin Peay (4-5) is coming off a 63-50 loss at UTRGV, Sunday, in Edinburg, Texas. Rashaud Marshall led Austin Peay in scoring with 19 points, marking his team-best fifth-straight game scoring in double figures.

After coming off the bench in the first three games of the season, Marshall has started each of the last six games in the middle for the Govs. Since entering the starting lineup, Marshall is averaging 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9% from the floor. Prior to his 19-point performance against the Vaqueros, the Blytheville, Arkansas native scored a career-high 23 points at Kent State, Dec. 3.

Austin Peay is led in scoring by Collin Parker's 15.8 points per game, while 44.7 three-point percentage (17-for-38) is the highest of any Gov that has attempted at least 10 attempts from distance. Despite being held to a season-low six points last time out, Parker is sixth in the ASUN in both scoring and field-goal percentage. Prior to the contest in the Lone Star State, Parker scored 29 points and dished out a career-high six assists at Kent State, which came a game after his 30-point, 8-rebound outing against Northern Illinois, Nov. 25.

The Governors are led by the top-scoring defense in the ASUN, which allows just 68.6 points per game and has held 8-of-9 opponents below their season average. The Govs' +4.8 turnover margin and 16.89 turnovers forced per game also lead the league and rank top 20 nationally.

Friday's game is the 72nd all-time meeting between the Governors and ETSU (8-2), with the Buccaneers leading the series – which began Jan. 1949 – 41-30 following a 79-57 win last season in Johnson City, Tennessee. APSU is 21-14 all-time against ETSU in Clarksville, with this week's game being the first in Clarksville since 2013 and just the second since 2005.

Friday's game, and all home and ASUN Conference games throughout the 2025-26 season will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Barry Gresham and Ethan Schmidt on the call. Fans also can tune into the Governors Sports Network on ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM / 540 AM) or via the TuneIn app to hear Kyle King call all the action.

From the Jump

• Austin Peay returns to Clarksville for its third home game of the season and first since defeating Northern Illinois, 77-59, Nov. 25.
• Despite the small sample size, APSU is 2-0 at home this year, with an average margin of victory of 49.5 points. The Govs defeated NAIA Bryan 128-47 in the season opener, with the 81-point margin of victory being the largest in program history.
• With a win, the Govs would secure the first three-game home winning streak since Feb. 8-15 of last season. It also would be the third-longest home winning streak in F&M Bank Arena's three-year history, trailing only eight-game (12/5/23-2/10/24) and four-game (2/28/24-3/7/24) streaks during the facility's inaugural season. The Governors are 24-8 all-time in F&M Bank Arena.
• Head coach Corey Gipson's 37 wins at the helm of Austin Peay basketball are the eighth-most in the program's 95-year history and the fourth-most by a head coach in their third season.
• The Govs are 3-0 this season when shooting at least 48.0% from the field and are 30-8 over the last three seasons when shooting at least 45% from the floor.
• APSU has turned the ball over more than their opponent just once this season, and has forced at least 11 turnovers each game. APSU also has forced 20-or-more turnovers three times, of which it is 2-1 in such games.
• The Govs are 3-0 when holding opponents below 40% from the field and are 3-1 when holding foes to less than 25% from three-point range or to six-or-fewer triples.

Scouting ETSU

• Led by third-year head coach Brooks Savage, ETSU is 8-2 on the season with Friday's game being just its fourth road game of the season.
• ETSU is 1-2 away from Johnson City.
• The Buccaneers went 19-13 with a 12-6 record in Southern Conference play last season, finishing third in the league. ETSU fell in the SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals to No. 6 Wofford.
• ETSU allows just 64.4 points per game, which leads the SoCon and ranks 20th nationally – ETSU has allowed over 70 points just twice this season, coming at North Alabama (Nov. 15) and at Dayton (Dec. 2).
• ETSU's 10.6 steals per game rank 17th nationally, while its 15.8 turnovers forced per game are 37th in Division I – both leading the SoCon.
• ETSU is top 50 nationally with a 49.4 field-goal percentage, while its 56.1 effective field-goal percentage also leads the SoCon and ranks 64th nationally. Collectively, the team also shoots 32.8% from three-point range - third in its league - while its 30.1 three-point percentage defense is 83rd nationally.

Up Next

Austin Peay heads north for its final road game of the nonconference season. The Govs and Roos tipoff for a 5 p.m., Dec. 21 game at the Swinney Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

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