Austin Peay can?t blame just one factor or player for its disappointing 89-67 loss at Murray State earlier this month.
But it?s safe to say the game would have been different if foul trouble hadn?t struck early for Chris Horton and limited him to 15 minutes ? eight less than any other game this season. Murray State?s Jonathan Fairell said after the game drawing fouls from the 6-foot-8 center was a focus, primarily because of his presence on the defensive end.
Horton leads the Ohio Valley Conference by a considerable margin with 64 blocks ? more than three per game ? and he still had three to go along with seven rebounds in limited time against the Racers. He?s anxious to show what he can do Friday night at the Dunn Center with something closer to his average of 30 minutes per game, which point guard Damarius Smith said could change the defense dramatically.
?When (Horton)?s in the game you can put a lot more pressure on the ball just because he?s behind you to protect the rim,? Smith said. ?When he?s not in the game, you want to give a little space to keep (your opponent) out of the lane ... because you?re going to be missing your shot blocker.?
That didn?t happen in the first meeting against the Racers, and coach Dave Loos said the perimeter defense must improve to help Horton stay on the court. But responsibility also falls on the sophomore to make smart decisions and keep Murray State?s big, athletic post players from catching the ball down low.
Foul trouble hasn?t been a problem much for Horton this season, but he said the game at Murray had him thinking about it more in losses at SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois. That may have been part of the reason he failed to record more than one block in consecutive games for just the second time in his career.
He?s still on the exact same pace through 21 games as when he shattered the single-season school record with 100 blocks, though nearly six minutes more per game has undoubtedly been a factor. The Govs have also turned to Horton for more offense, and he?s responded by leading them with 13.8 points per game while shooting better than 61 percent from the field.
But a 2-for-9 night at Murray State led to a season-low five points and may have been the catalyst for what Horton referred to as a ?little slump.? He put up 20 points at SIUE, but since then he?s scored below his season average in three straight games.
Part of that has been uncharacteristically bad shooting from the free throw line, where he?s made just 6-of-17 to fall to 61.5 percent on the season. It?s also become tougher for him to get opportunities to score inside, though he made all five of his field goal attempts in last Saturday?s 83-69 win over Tennessee Tech.
?We?ve got to get back to at least somewhat how we were last year, because last year we were just great from the 3-point line,? said Horton, who also ranks third in the OVC with 9.9 blocks per game. ?But the only real threat we have from the 3-point line is Travis right now. They clamp down on him, then it?s going to be tough.?
Austin Peay made seven 3-pointers for the first time in seven games against Tennessee Tech, and the Govs even went on a key 11-0 run with their starting center watching from the bench following an unproductive first six minutes. Smith said that seemed to energized the whole team, including Horton, who finished with a double-double to go with three blocks.
?He?s going to make a huge impact for our team offensively and defensively (against Murray State), using his athleticism, running the floor, blocking shots, just being Chris,? Smith said. ?If we?re missing any of our teammates we?re not as whole, so to have a big contributor like Chris come back, it?ll be awesome.?
But it?s safe to say the game would have been different if foul trouble hadn?t struck early for Chris Horton and limited him to 15 minutes ? eight less than any other game this season. Murray State?s Jonathan Fairell said after the game drawing fouls from the 6-foot-8 center was a focus, primarily because of his presence on the defensive end.
Horton leads the Ohio Valley Conference by a considerable margin with 64 blocks ? more than three per game ? and he still had three to go along with seven rebounds in limited time against the Racers. He?s anxious to show what he can do Friday night at the Dunn Center with something closer to his average of 30 minutes per game, which point guard Damarius Smith said could change the defense dramatically.
?When (Horton)?s in the game you can put a lot more pressure on the ball just because he?s behind you to protect the rim,? Smith said. ?When he?s not in the game, you want to give a little space to keep (your opponent) out of the lane ... because you?re going to be missing your shot blocker.?
That didn?t happen in the first meeting against the Racers, and coach Dave Loos said the perimeter defense must improve to help Horton stay on the court. But responsibility also falls on the sophomore to make smart decisions and keep Murray State?s big, athletic post players from catching the ball down low.
Foul trouble hasn?t been a problem much for Horton this season, but he said the game at Murray had him thinking about it more in losses at SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois. That may have been part of the reason he failed to record more than one block in consecutive games for just the second time in his career.
He?s still on the exact same pace through 21 games as when he shattered the single-season school record with 100 blocks, though nearly six minutes more per game has undoubtedly been a factor. The Govs have also turned to Horton for more offense, and he?s responded by leading them with 13.8 points per game while shooting better than 61 percent from the field.
But a 2-for-9 night at Murray State led to a season-low five points and may have been the catalyst for what Horton referred to as a ?little slump.? He put up 20 points at SIUE, but since then he?s scored below his season average in three straight games.
Part of that has been uncharacteristically bad shooting from the free throw line, where he?s made just 6-of-17 to fall to 61.5 percent on the season. It?s also become tougher for him to get opportunities to score inside, though he made all five of his field goal attempts in last Saturday?s 83-69 win over Tennessee Tech.
?We?ve got to get back to at least somewhat how we were last year, because last year we were just great from the 3-point line,? said Horton, who also ranks third in the OVC with 9.9 blocks per game. ?But the only real threat we have from the 3-point line is Travis right now. They clamp down on him, then it?s going to be tough.?
Austin Peay made seven 3-pointers for the first time in seven games against Tennessee Tech, and the Govs even went on a key 11-0 run with their starting center watching from the bench following an unproductive first six minutes. Smith said that seemed to energized the whole team, including Horton, who finished with a double-double to go with three blocks.
?He?s going to make a huge impact for our team offensively and defensively (against Murray State), using his athleticism, running the floor, blocking shots, just being Chris,? Smith said. ?If we?re missing any of our teammates we?re not as whole, so to have a big contributor like Chris come back, it?ll be awesome.?
