CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – With 16.3 to play, Anton Brookshire draws a foul. Austin Peay's in the double bonus, so the redshirt senior goes to the line and connects on both. 71-68 Govs. Jacksonville brings the ball up and calls a timeout after being faced with the defensive presences of Brookshire and Tate McCubbin. 2.7 seconds remaining. JU's Evan Sterck inbounds it to Jaylen Jones – guarded by Brookshire –  who throws it up from the right corner. The ball hits back iron. Govs win a game that had all 1,821 fans on the edge of their seats for the final five-plus minutes.

Led by Zyree Collins' 23 points, Austin Peay State University's basketball team improved to 2-0 in Atlantic Sun Conference play and 6-0 at home following its 71-68 win against Jacksonville, Saturday, on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.

Collins' 23 points marked the freshman's second 20-point performance of the season, while Rashaud Marshall and Collin Parker followed him in scoring with 16 and 15, respectively.

One of the nation's premier teams in forcing turnovers, Austin Peay (8-5, 2-0 ASUN) forced 17 Jacksonville (5-10, 0-2 ASUN) turnovers, translating them into 16 points, while also outscoring the Dolphins 34-28 in the paint.

Both teams' offenses showed out in the opening five minutes of the contest, with the Dolphins making five of their first six attempts from the field, and the Govs going 5-for-7 to start. A JU layup brought up the second stalemate of the opening eight minutes at 13 all. Following a Parker converted and-one opportunity, the Dolphins went on a 9-3 run over the next four minutes to take their largest lead of the first half.

A driving layup by Collins then sparked an extended, five-minute, 17-5 for APSU, with Parker and Rashaud Marshall both contributing five points in that span. The Govs extended their lead to nine following a Ja'Corey Robinson steal and breakaway dunk.

After trading blows for the final 3:11 of the half, APSU took a 43-38 lead into the half.

Collin Parker led both teams with 11 points and four rebounds at the breakage, with APSU shooting 45.9% (17-37) and 45.5% (5-11) from the floor and three-point range, respectively.

The Governors missed their first seven attempts from the field to begin the half, and its first bucket – a layup by Parker – cut into a three-point Jacksonville lead six and a half minutes into the period. After trading triples, three-straight Dolphins free throws then extended their lead to four, but it was answered by a six-point APSU swing, with Marshall making a layup and going 2-for-2 from the line.

The Govs tied the game at 55 with 10:37 to play on a Brookshire score in the paint, but a quartet of misses helped Jacksonville regain a three-point lead with 8:21 remaining in the half.

Facing its final deficit of the night, Collins scored eight points during a 10-0 APSU run, with the Govs capitalizing on a pair of JU turnovers during that span.

The Dolphins would cut their deficit to as few as one in the final 20 seconds, but the aforementioned Brookshire free throws and clutch defense led to APSU's sixth-straight win on its home hardwood.

The Difference

Free throws. Austin Peay went 17-for-22 from the charity stripe, including nine of its 11 attempts across the final 10 minutes of the second half.

Box Score Bullets

• Austin Peay improved to 2-0 in ASUN Conference play for the first time in program history. It is the first time the Govs have started league play 2-0 since the 2019-20 Ohio Valley Conference season.
• Austin Peay improved to 2-4 all-time against Jacksonville and 1-1 against it in Clarksville. The win ended a four-game losing streak against the Dolphins and was the first since a 77-75 victory during the 1973 NCAA Tournament.
• Austin Peay earned its sixth-straight win at F&M Bank Arena, the second-longest winning streak in year three of the facility and the longest since an eight-game winning streak during its inaugural season in 2023-24.
• Despite being just a week into league play, APSU is one of five teams unbeaten in ASUN action so far. The Govs also are one of four teams – Lipscomb, Queens, and Jacksonville – to currently sit undefeated at home.
• Zyree Collins led Austin Peay in scoring with 23 points. It marked the freshman's third time pacing the Govs in scoring. His scoring performance also trails only a 25-point outing against ETSU, Dec. 12.
• Austin Peay entered the game seventh in the nation with 17 turnovers forced per game, and caused just as many JU turnovers tonight. The Governors have forced at least 11 turnovers in all 13 games this season, and at least 15 turnovers seven times.
• APSU turned the ball over just eight times, marking the third time this season it has been limited to nine-or-fewer turnovers.
• The Governors outscored Jacksonville 34-28 in the paint. The sixth-fewest points in the paint this season.
• The grouping of Tate McCubbin, Zyree Collins, Matt Enright, Rashaud Marshall, and Collin Parker started for the second-straight game and third time overall this season. The group improved to 3-0 on the season in the win.
• Tonight's seven lead changes are the second-most for the Govs this season, trailing only 10 at Tulsa, Nov. 21.
• With Tate McCubbin's three-pointer 2:54 into the game, Austin Peay extended its streak of consecutive games with a triple to 747, a stretch that began Feb. 23, 2002.
• APSU improved to 21-10 when scoring at least 70 points under Gipson, and 25-17 when holding opponents under 70.
• Gipson earned his 20th ASUN Conference win and 41st overall victory as APSU's head coach.

Coach's Corner

With Austin Peay Head Coach Corey Gipson

Opening Statement… "Iron most definitely sharpened iron today. Jacksonville came in here with a valiant effort. We knew it was going to be a physical game. We knew they were going to throw some strong punches at us, so we were not surprised by that attack. I am very thankful that our guys believed in the conversations that we had in regards to the game being physical. This group of guys have put in a lot of time at the free throw line going into this season and during the season, and their time has not been in vain. In the last five minutes of the game, all of our points came from free throws. In this game, we were 17-for-22 from the free throw line, that is a testament to the time that they have put in and understanding that, if you make the deposits, it will pay dividends for you. But, how about that crowd tonight. How about the community coming out. I would also like to take a moment of silence for the bus driver [who passed away earlier this season during the Governors' trip to Kansas City last month]… I just wanted to pay homage to his family, as he was buried today. I also want everyone to keep Mr. Rives [Brian Rives, Austin Peay basketball radio broadcaster] who also lost a family member…"

On the 2-0 Start to ASUN Play… "These guys are battle tested. The fact that that schedule was put together and we traveled over 15,000 miles in nonconference play… and we went out there and took some punches. When you look at some of those teams and what their records are now in league play, they are right there at the top… These guys were able to withstand that. You have to go through something to get something. You cannot expect something without going through some storms. This team has some of the most courageous buoyancy of any team that I have been around. Some teams crumble when they face that sort of adversity of traveling in nonconference play, it affects them in league play. And other teams crumble when they take some punches. One thing that we talked about in the locker room before coming over here, is that you have to take a punch to know that you can handle one… We took a hard punch tonight, but we stayed toe-to-toe and ten toes down."

Up Next

Austin Peay makes its first of two regular-season trips down to the Sunshine State. It kicks off back-to-back games in Florida with a 6 p.m. (CT), Thursday contest against Florida Gulf Coast, before facing Stetson at 1 p.m., Saturday, in DeLand.

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