GAME NOTES | Austin Peay Website
EASTERN ILLINOIS (12-15, 8-8 OVC)
at AUSTIN PEAY (15-12, 11-5 OVC)
Feb. 26, 2009 • 7:30 pm
Dunn Center • Clarksville, Tenn.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
- Mike Bradd & Jack Ashmore
GAME 28
Eastern Illinois opens its final regular-season road trip of the year on Thursday night at Austin Peay. The Panthers are finishing out the season with five of their final six contests on the road posting a 1-2 road record to open the stretch. EIU closes out the regular season on Saturday at Tennessee State and then will play a first round OVC Tournament game on the road on March 3. EIU is coming off a road Bracketbusters win at Western Michigan to improve to 12-15 overall. The 12 wins matches the best regular-season win total for EIU since the 2003 season. Austin Peay enters the game at 15-12 overall having dropped Saturday's Bracketbuster contest at Drake.
EIU - AUSTIN PEAY SERIES
This will be the 30th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay with the Governors holding a 17-12 series lead. Austin Peay won the earlier season meeting at Lantz Arena 81-73 to win their seventh straight over the Panthers. EIU's last win over Austin Peay was Jan. 20, 2005 when the Panthers picked up a 63-51 victory. The Panthers have not won in the Dunn Center since Jan. 27, 1998 when they walked away with a 90-80 win.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY
Austin Peay has been a dominant team in the Ohio Valley Conference over the past couple of seasons behind the front line play of Drake Reed who averages 21.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The Governors have added guard Wes Channels to the mix at 16.9 ppg to give them an inside-out balance. This season Austin Peay is 7-2 in the OVC on the road and only 4-3 in the OVC at home.
POSSIBLE SATURDAY SHOWDOWN
While the Panthers Thursday night contest looms large, EIU's Saturday game at Tennessee State looks like it will determine which of those teams will finish sixth and seventh in the OVC standings. No matter which spot EIU finishes in it will be the team's highest OVC finish since tying for 4th in 2003.
