GAME NOTES: Still undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play, the Austin Peay Governors are now set to entertain the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Dave Aaron Arena tonight. The Govs enter the contest a perfect 5-0 in league play and that includes a 71-55 triumph over Jacksonville State on Saturday. It was the fifth win in a row for APSU, which improved to 9-6 overall and 4-1 at home. The Govs are in the midst of playing four of five games at home, with their lone outing on the road coming at Murray State on Thursday. As for EIU, it put an end to an 11-game slide with a stunning overtime win against Murray State on Thursday, but it was unable to build off that result, dropping an 82-71 decision to Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. With the setback, the Panthers dipped to a dismal 2-12 overall and 1-5 in conference play. To make matters worse, the team now hits the road, where it has gone 0-7 thus far. As for the all-time series, APSU holds a 14-12 edge over EIU and that includes a sweep of two meetings last season.

The Panthers turned the ball over 17 times and that resulted in 24 points for SEMO in an 82-71 setback this past weekend. The team shot a decent 41.5 percent from the floor, but it went just 4-of-15 from behind the arc. Julio Anthony paced EIU in defeat with 22 points, while Jon'Tee Willhite added 16 points and five assists. Bobby Catchings also got involved, finishing with 13 points and nine boards. The Panthers played the game without leading scorer Romain Martin (17.2 ppg), who has an injured foot and is listed as questionable for tonight. Catchings ranks second to Martin in scoring this season with an average of 12.0 ppg and he is also collecting 5.5 rpg. As a team, the Panthers are averaging 62.8 ppg on the season, while giving up 69.4 ppg.

The Govs won the battle on the boards, 40-31, including an 18-6 advantage on the offensive glass, as they defeated Jacksonville State this past weekend. The team also forced 17 turnovers, while committing a mere four miscues itself. Drake Reed led the charge for APSU with a double-double that consisted of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Fernandez Lockett posted 13 points, even rebounds and five steals, while Derek Wright also tallied 13 points in the win. For the season, Reed leads the squad in scoring at 15.9 ppg and he is also grabbing 5.7 rpg. Wes Channels adds 13.3 ppg to the rotation, while Lockett turns in 11.5 ppg and a team-best 6.4 rpg. Todd Babington chips in with 10.5 ppg for the Govs, who are scoring 71.5 ppg off 45.6 percent shooting from the field this season.

The Govs are simply the more talented team here and they should be offered little resistance from an EIU squad that may be without its top scorer once again.