Austin Peay Basketball Clinches ASUN Title with Win Over Jacksonville

The Austin Peay men’s basketball team secured a share of the ASUN regular season championship with a hard-fought 65-61 victory over Jacksonville on Saturday, February 21, 2026. This marks the Governors’ first regular season conference title since joining the ASUN and their first overall since 2008.

The win improves Austin Peay’s record to 15-1 in conference play, with two games remaining on the schedule. The team can clinch the outright title with a victory against Central Arkansas on Wednesday.

The Governors’ path to the championship was aided by a Florida Gulf Coast victory over Central Arkansas on Saturday, giving Austin Peay a two-game lead in the conference standings with only two games left to play. A win on Wednesday would also secure an undefeated home record for the season – a fifth in program history.

Saturday’s game against Jacksonville was a closely contested affair. The first meeting between the two teams earlier in January was also a tight contest, with Austin Peay escaping with a 71-68 win. This latest matchup followed a similar pattern, with both teams struggling to find consistent offense, particularly from three-point range.

Jacksonville started strong, building an early 6-0 lead. However, a three-pointer from Anton Brookshire sparked the Governors’ offense, and the first half became a back-and-forth battle. Neither team managed to establish a significant advantage, with most of the scoring occurring in the paint. Austin Peay took a 33-28 lead into halftime, fueled by a couple of late layups from Rashaud Marshall.

The second half mirrored the first, characterized by physical play and a lack of long-range shooting. Marshall continued to be a dominant force for Austin Peay, finishing with a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds. However, the Governors faced adversity as both Marshall and Tate McCubbin fouled out, forcing other players to step up.

Zyree Collins and Collin Parker both logged significant minutes, playing 37 minutes each, while Brookshire played the entire 40 minutes. Despite Jacksonville tying the game with under four minutes remaining, clutch plays from Parker and Ja’Corey Robinson helped Austin Peay pull away for the 65-61 victory.

The Austin Peay Governors will return to Clarksville as conference champions, looking to secure the outright ASUN regular season title against Central Arkansas on Wednesday.