KENT, Ohio – Collin Parker had his season's second-highest scoring output with 29, while Rashaud Marshall had a career-high 23 points; however, Austin Peay State University's basketball team dropped a 96-84 decision to Kent State, Wednesday, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

Parker led Austin Peay (4-4) in scoring for the fifth-straight game with his sixth-straight double-figure scoring night, while his seven three-pointers and six assists both marked career highs as well. Marshall's 23 points followed Parker, with the junior forward's career-high in scoring coming on a 10-of-16 night from the field.

Freshman Zyree Collins had his young career's third-highest scoring performance with 16 points, while his nine assists are the most by a Gov this season.

Kent State (8-1) jumped out to a 10-3 run following a pair of game-opening threes, but a pair of triples by Parker and a basket by Tate McCubbin cut APSU's deficit to 12-11 seven minutes into the contest. A pair of free throws by the Golden Flashes was answered by Creighton Morisch's second three-pointer of the season to tie the game at 14.

After keeping the game within four points entering the under-eight media timeout, a KSU three extended the lead to 27-21, but the Govs responded by forcing four-straight misses and brought the game back within two points following baskets by Collins and Marshall. Kent State maintained its lead through the half, as it led 36-32 after the first 20 minutes.

Parker led all scorers with 11 points at the break following a trio of three pointers, while Marshall had eight points and five rebounds.

Both the Govs and Golden Flashes made five threes in the opening period, but KSU held its four-point lead after making half of their 26 attempts from the floor, while holding the Govs to 12-for-31 (38.7%).

Austin Peay took its first lead of the night just 44 seconds into the second half, as Collins hit a three on APSU's first trip down the court, Marshall blocking a shot on the ensuing possession, and a Parker three-pointer gave APSU a 38-36 advantage.

Each of the next five baskets resulted in lead changes, but a McCubbin triple gave APSU its largest lead of the night at 45-41 with 17:04 to play. Kent State quickly responded with a 7-0 lead, but a Parker three-pointer followed by back-to-back Marshall baskets in the paint returned the advantage to the Govs.

Three-straight baskets and as many free throws by Kent State gave it a six-point lead following the Govs' run, but APSU again responded and – following back-to-back triples by Parker – took a 70-69 lead with 7:24 remaining.

Following a media break, the Golden Flashes went on a five-minute, 18-6 run to lead 87-76 with 2:50 remaining. After maintaining its multi-score lead for the final three minutes, KSU came away with the 12-point victory on its home court.

The Difference

Points at the foul line. Kent State made 23 of its 32 attempts at the free throw line, while Austin Peay was limited to just 11 points at the stripe.

Box Score Bullets

• Austin Peay fell to 0-2 all-time against Kent State and in Kent, Ohio.
• Collin Parker's 29 points are the second-most by a Gov this season and trail only his own 30-point game last time out against Northern Illinois.
• Parker has scored at least 10 points in a team-best six-straight games.
• Rashaud Marshall scored a career-high 23 points, surpassing his 14 points at Ole Miss earlier this season.
• Marshall now has scored at least 10 points in four-straight games, which is the second-longest active streak on the team.
• Parker and Marshall are the first APSU duo to score 20 points since Isaac Haney, LJ Thomas, and Darius Dawson all scored 20 points against North Florida in the first round of the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Basketball Tournament, March 2.
• Zyree Collins' nine assists are the most by a Gov since LJ Thomas had 11 against Central Arkansas, Feb. 8.
• Austin Peay's 13 three-pointers are its second-most this season and the most since making a program-record 20 triples against Bryan in the season opener, Nov. 3.
• After making 10 three-pointers against Northern Illinois in its last game, APSU now has made at least 10 three-pointers in back-to-back games for the first time this season and for the first time since games at Bellarmine (Feb. 18; 11) and at Queens (Feb. 20; 14).
• With Tate McCubbin's three-pointer 1:38 into the game, Austin Peay extended its streak of consecutive games with a triple to 742, a streak that began Feb. 23, 2002 against Southeast Missouri.          

Coaches Corner

With Austin Peay Head Basketball Coach, Corey Gipson

Opening Statement… "We knew going into this game, that it would be a hostile environment. It is the reason why we scheduled these road games in November and early December – we felt like it would give us the opportunity to cut our teeth and let iron sharpen iron. Going into this game, we told the team that we have to make sure that our transition defense is intact. [Kent State] likes to get out in transition and get early baskets. We knew that we had to keep them off the foul line. We have to get to a point where, when we know how a game can be orchestrated by design, we have to be able to follow the game plan to make sure that we are not putting ourselves in a position to where we are giving a team points that we cannot defend. We can't defend the charity stripe. Today, we let the fouling get out of hand and I feel like it frustrated us quite a bit because we had a couple of guys complain that I have never seen complain since they have been here. And that is not because it is not their right to feel like something did or did not go their way. We have to get to a point to where we can break through, fight through, and close games under any circumstance."

On Collin Parker… "What we have seen from him, we have seen all preseason, and we saw before he arrived. He is just a unique specimen in how he goes about the game on and off the floor. [He is] pretty much un-guardable to be honest with you… We have a team that, when we play the style of play that works for us, we can come back in any style. But, we have to get to a point on the road where we can close games playing the right way – that is, without fouling, with transition defense, and not giving teams second-chance opportunities."

Looking Ahead… "We have to continue to grow. We have to continue to grow under duress. We have to continue to grow on the road. We have to grow in being assignment correct as we call it. Defensively today, I felt like we missed some assignments. Our game plan was to let number 23 take those threes. I will eat that. If we played them again, we would give him those same attempts, we are fine with that. If they can beat us with him making those attempts, we can live with it. But they did not beat us from those attempts. We got beat from the foul line. That is where we have to get better. All-in-all, I believe our team does a pretty good job playing the right way [and] by defending without fouling, but we have to make sure we make the necessary corrections in those types of situations."

Up Next

Austin Peay heads to the Lone Star State for a 1 p.m., Sunday contest against UTRGV at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, Texas.

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