JACKSONVILLE, Fla – For the first time in program history, Austin Peay State University basketball is Atlantic Sun Conference Champions!
Austin Peay claimed the 19th championship in program history, the 13th regular-season title in the program's 95-year history, and the first regular-season title since the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference campaign in a 65-61 victory against Jacksonville, Saturday, at Swisher Gymnasium.
Rashaud Marshall led the way to the Governors' (21-6, 15-1 ASUN) 10th-straight win with 26 points and seven rebounds. Graduate forward Collin Parker followed Marshall in the scoring column while adding a team-best eight rebounds and six assists in APSU's first win against the Jacksonville in the Sunshine State.
Jacksonville(10-19, 5-11 ASUN) led for the first six-and-a-half minutes of Saturday's contest until back-to-back layups by Parker gave Austin Peay a 14-13 lead with 12:14 remaining in the opening period. Parker made the Govs' next three baskets, as each of the next seven scores – and eight of the next 10 – by both sides over the next five minutes resulted in lead changes.
A Creighton Morisch make under the rim gave the Govs a 22-19 lead with under eight minutes to play in the half, however, it was answered by six-straight JU points as the Dolphins retook a one-score advantage. Austin Peay ended the half on an 11-3 run to take a five-point lead heading into the break.
Austin Peay shot 40.6% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes with Marshall going 4-for-8 from the field with 13 points, accounting for eight of APSU's 22 points in the paint.
The Governors held Jacksonville to just one field goal in the first five minutes of the second half, extending their lead to as many as 12 points following a perfect trip to the line by Parker with 15:45 remaining in regulation. After cutting its deficit to just one score in the final seven minutes, a JU free throw following the under-four media timeout tied the game at 59.
Ja'Corey Robinson quickly regained the lead for the Govs following the free throw with a driving layup and a pair of missed JU free throws followed by five-straight misses from the field helped the Govs extend their lead back to four points in the final 36 seconds.
After missing the front half of a one-and-one with 9.8 to play, JU responded with a layup followed by a timeout. After the brief break, Parker went 2-for-2 from the line, sealing both the win and the ASUN Championship in program history.
The Difference
Late defense. After having a 12-point lead diminished in the final four minutes of the second half, Austin Peay held off a late Dolphins' comeback bid, holding them to just 1-of-5 from the floor in the final 3:12.
Box Score Bullets
- With the win, Austin Peay claimed no less than a share of the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship.
- Austin Peay can claim the outright championship with a win against No. 2 Central Arkansas, Wednesday, in Clarksville.
- The title is the 19th in program history and first since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. It also is the program's first conference title since winning the 2016 OVC Tournament.
- The regular-season title is the 13th in program history and the first since the 208 OVC season.
- Corey Gipson is the second head coach in program history to graduate from Austin Peay and later lead the Governors basketball program to a championship. The first was George Fisher (APSU class of 1948, Governors' head coach from 1962-71) who led the Govs to a 1963 Volunteer State Athletic Conference title. Gipson is the first to accomplish such since the Governors became Division I prior to the 1963-64 season.
- Austin Peay's 10-game winning streak is tied for its longest since a 17-game stretch during the 2003-04 season.
Up Next
Austin Peay returns home for the final time this season when it hosts Central Arkansas at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday for Senior Day.
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