Jacksonville State Game Notes | Austin Peay Game Notes

JACKSONVILLE -- The Jacksonville State men's basketball team continues its three-game homestand Saturday with a 7 p.m. matchup with Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay. The contest is the second half of a twin bill with the JSU and APSU women's teams.

A 76-63 loss to Murray State on Thursday evened the Gamecocks' home record on the year to 1-1, but head coach Ray Harper's squad looks to bounce back Saturday against a team that has been very dominant in their past meetings. The Governors from Clarksville, Tenn., hold a 17-5 advantage over Jacksonville State in the all-time series, but recent results favor the Gamecocks. JSU has won three out of the last four meetings, claiming three in a row until APSU broke the streak with a 73-54 victory at home last season.

Juniors Malcolm Drumwright and Norbertas Giga each posted 12 points in their meeting with the Racers on Thursday, while sophomore Christian Cunningham scored 11 and put up a career-high six blocks. The three have been exceptional in OVC play, thus far, with all three averaging double-digit points against conference foes. Cunningham is averaging a double-double with 10.3 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per game, while Giga is averaging a whopping 14.7 points per game in league play.

Austin Peay enters the Saturday matchup on a 10-game skid. The Govs have struggled early in the OVC season, but have been tough to beat. Minus a 97-62 blowout loss to Indiana, two of their last three losses have been by five points of less. APSU fell 97-92 to Western Kentucky in Bowling Green on Dec. 28, and Belmont just got by 82-77 in their OVC opener on Dec. 31. 

For more information on the JSU men's basketball team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSU_MBB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).

---

GAME 18
Jacksonville State (9-8, 2-1 OVC) vs. Austin Peay (0-2 OVC)
January 7, 2017 | 7 p.m. CT
Jacksonville, Ala. | Mathews Coliseum (3,500)

SERIES HISTORY
Last Meeting: January 7, 2016 (L, 73-54)
All-Time Series Record: APSU leads 17-5

FOLLOW LIVE
Listen: Gamecock Sports Network (WLJS 91.9 FM, WVOK 97.9 FM)
Watch: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: Click Here
 

---

 
NOTEWORTHY

• JSU ranks third in the Ohio Valley in RPI (132th) in the latest rankings.
• Junior Norbertas Giga was recently named OVC Newcomer of the Week after guiding the Gamecocks to a 2-0 OVC start last week.
• Senior Erik Durham ranks second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (54.7) and 20th in field goals made (47).
• Jacksonville State is 1-1 at Pete Mathews Coliseum this season. Saturday their first home game since Nov. 22 vs. Dalton State.
• Jacksonville State began its OVC schedule with back-to-back wins over UT Martin and Eastern Illinois last weekend. The Gamecocks got off to a 2-0 to begin league play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
• Eight of JSU's nine wins have come away from Pete Mathews Coliseum, and six of those wins are true road games. Jacksonville State has not won six games on the road since going 6-8 during the 2012-13 season.
• Junior Norbertas Giga picked up his fourth career Division I double-double on New Year's Eve at Eastern Illinois. The transfer leads the Gamecocks in the feat, and is nearly averaging a double-double for the season. The seven-foot Lithuanian is averaging 11.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. 
• Prior to their season-opening win at Tulsa, the last time the Gamecocks claimed a non-conference win over a Division I program was a 79-76 win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 21, 2015. It was also the first Division I non-conference road win since downing Alabama A&M 67-61 in Montgomery, Ala., on Nov. 25, 2014. Since then, JSU has tacked on five more non-conference, D1 victories. All six of those wins either came on the road or at a neutral site.