CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Following a stretch of four out of five games at home, the Bellarmine men's basketball team this week embarks on a trip to Tennessee to face Austin Peay on Thursday and Lipscomb on Saturday.
 
Thursday's game in Clarksville will tip at 8 p.m. ET and Saturday's game in Nashville will start at 5 p.m. ET. Coverage for both games will be on ESPN+ and ESPN 680/105.7.
 
The pair of games this week are the first two games of four straight on the road.
 
About Austin Peay
Austin Peay (NET No. 289), picked to finish second in the ASUN by the coaches and third by the media, sits at just 3-5 in the conference and tied with North Florida for eighth. The Governors are 8-13 overall and are last in the ASUN averaging 68.0 points per game. Defensively, they rank fifth in the ASUN surrendering 73.5 points per game overall, though that number sits at 87.3 points per game in conference play. They are coming off an 88-84 overtime loss at North Alabama.
 
Junior guard LJ Thomas leads the Govs averaging 13.9 points, though he has been on quite the cold streak the past five games, averaging just 4.2 points. Still, the NC State transfer leads APSU averaging 3.1 assists and is second with both his 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Senior forward Sai Witt is the leading man on the interior, pulling down a team-best 5.3 rebounds and scoring 11.8 points, though he has missed six games. Also averaging 11.8 points is senior guard Isaac Haney. Haney and Witt were both selected to the Preseason All-ASUN Team. Freshman forward Tate McCubbin scored 38 points in the Govs' overtime win at Eastern Kentucky, hitting 9 of 15 threes and connecting on 13 of 23 attempts overall, though he has battled inconsistency and scored just 67 points combined the Govs' other seven conference games.
 
As a team, the Govs are last in the ASUN with their 68.0 PPG average and -7.1 rebound differential.
 
The Knights are 7-13 all-time against APSU, 1-2 during the Division I era. The Govs swept last season's pair of games, earning an 84-68 win at Freedom Hall on January 4 and taking a 90-87 overtime thriller in the season finale in Clarksville to keep Bellarmine out of the ASUN Tournament. Ben Johnson scored a Bellarmine season-high 34 points on 13-for-25 shooting in the latter, while Witt dropped in a team-best 25 for the Govs.
 
Davenport on the Governors
"Austin Peay, with a new roster, has done a terrific job in conference play. They start four juniors and one outstanding freshman in Tate McCubbin. They will always compete for 40 minutes and have a tremendous home court advantage. Our challenge will be defending on the basketball and, offensively, being fundamental and strong with the ball." –Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport
 
About Lipscomb
Bellarmine and Lipscomb (NET No. 84) have already locked horns once this season, with the Bisons earning an 87-54 win inside Knights Hall on January 16. In a game that featuring just a four-point halftime margin in favor of the visitors, Lipscomb rattled off a 25-0 run to start the second half to all but put the game away. The Bisons have gone 2-1 since their trip to Louisville and sit at 6-2 in ASUN play, 14-7 overall. They handled Central Arkansas on the road their last time out on Saturday, 68-55, and will host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday before the Knights visit Saturday. They currently sit tied for second in the ASUN with a 6-2 conference mark, 14-7 overall.
 
ASUN Player of the Year candidate Jacob Ognacevic has continued his rampage through the league since going for 17 points and 16 rebounds against the Knights. The senior forward leads the conference in double-doubles (6), field goals (136), points (389), scoring average (18.5) and defensive rebounds per game (6.0).
 
As they did two weeks ago, Lipscomb as a team sits atop the ASUN in several statistical categories, including assist/turnover ratio (1.5), assists per game (16.1), field goal percentage (.471), field goal percentage defense (.411), fewest fouls per game (12.9), defensive rebounds per game (27.7), scoring defense (65.7), scoring margin (+12.8) and three-point percentage defense (.308).
 
Bellarmine is 7-7 all-time against Lipscomb, but 2-6 since reclassifying to Division I.
 
Davenport on the Bisons
"Lipscomb is, from top to bottom with personnel and coaching, a phenomenally fundamental program in every aspect of the game of basketball. In our first encounter, we had a complete first half and give Lipscomb credit—they completely dominated the second half."
 
Last Week in Review
The Florida duo of Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson each earned wins over Bellarmine in Knights Hall last week. FGCU shot 53.6 percent from the field, the second-highest mark this season by a Knights' ASUN opponent, and sank 13 of 27 three-point attempts. The Eagles assisted on 20 of 30 made field goals in a 77-61 win. Despite a 13-2 Knights run to begin the second half and erase an 11-point Stetson lead, the Hatters won 81-76 after closing the game on a 14-6 run.
 
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