CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Coming off a pair of home wins to open the Atlantic Sun Conference season, Austin Peay State University's basketball team kicks off a two-game road trip to the Sunshine State with a 6 p.m. (CT), Thursday contest against Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers, Florida.

Austin Peay (8-5, 2-0 ASUN) opened the conference season with a 102-83 victory against North Florida, Thursday, before earning a 71-68 win against Jacksonville, Saturday. Parker paced the Govs with 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the win against the Ospreys, while freshman Zyree Collins recorded the second 20-point game of his young career with 23 points against the Dolphins.

After averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game last week, Parker was named the ASUN Men's Basketball Newcomer of the Week for the first time this season, becoming the third Gov to earn the honor. A Montgomery City, Missouri native, Parker has started all 13 games for the Govs this season, with his 15.8 points per game ranking fourth in the league, and his 6.0 rebounds per night sixth.

Led by one of the top defenses in the country, Austin Peay leads the ASUN in scoring defense (69.4), scoring margin (+11.1), steals per game (11.5), three-point percentage defense (31.2), turnover margin (+5.8), and turnovers forced per game (17.08), with APSU's steals per game ranking second nationally, and both its turnover margin and turnovers forced per game ranking seventh in the NCAA.

Collins paced APSU and the ASUN with 2.15 steals per game, which ranks fourth nationally among freshmen, while his 13.5 points per night are second on APSU and among ASUN freshmen.

Florida Gulf Coast (7-8, 1-1 ASUN) split its first pair of games of the new year. After dropping an 85-83 decision at Central Arkansas on Thursday, the Eagles responded with a 72-55 win against North Alabama, Saturday. The victory marked FGCU's first win against a Division I opponent since beating Rice in overtime, Nov. 25.

Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Lucas Nicholson, J Webb Horton, and Brooke Bell on the call. Fans also can tune into the Governors Sports Network on ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM / 540 AM) to hear Van Stokes call all the action.

From The Jump

• Austin Peay's third game of the ASUN season takes it to Fort Myers, Florida for a 6 p.m. (CT), Thursday game against FGCU.
• Austin Peay is 3-2 all-time against the Eagles, while FGCU is 2-0 against the Govs in Fort Myers.
• The Governors ended a two-game losing streak to the Eagles last season, when they won a 73-60 decision, Feb. 13, in Clarksville.
• Austin Peay is one of five teams that hold a 2-0 conference record, while also maintaining the longest winning streak in the league at four games.
• The Govs have the second-most steals per game in the NCAA at 11.5, while its 17.08 turnovers per game rank seventh nationally.
• APSU averaged 23.4 points off turnovers per game, while surrendering just 10.7. The Govs have scored 20-plus points off turnovers six times, and have not allowed more than 17 in a game (or more than nine in ASUN play).
• Collin Parker leads APSU and ranks fourth in the ASUN with 15.8 points per game.
• Zyree Collins, Matt Enright, Tate McCubbin, Collin Parker, and Rashaud Marshall have started each of the last two games together, while the group is 3-0 on the season altogether.

Scouting the Eagles

• Florida Gulf Coast is led by fourth-year head coach Patrick Chambers, who is 48-56 at the helm of Eagles basketball.
• FGCU went 19-15 overall with a 13-5 record in ASUN play last season. The Eagles entered the 2025 ASUN Basketball Tournament as the No. 3 seed, but were put out in the tournament's quarterfinals round following a 71-65 loss to No. 6 Queens in Fort Myers.
• FGCU was picked to finish fourth in both the ASUN Preseason Coaches and Media Poll and did not receive a Preseason All-ASUN Team selection.
• FGCU leads the ASUN in rebounds per game (38.67), rebound margin (+4.1), while their 13.47 offensive rebounds per game are second in the league and 47th nationally.
• The Eagles have three players averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game and seven averaging at least 3.0.
• Graduate guard J.R. Konieczny leads the Eagles and ranks seventh in the ASUN with 15.1 points per game, while his 6.1 rebounds and 1.53 steals per game rank fifth and third in the league, respectively.

Up Next

Austin Peay concludes its two-game road swing with a 1 p.m. (CT), Saturday game against Stetson at the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Florida.

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