Austin Peay men’s basketball clinched a share of its first ASUN championship in program history in a win over Jacksonville on Feb. 21. ALEX ALLARD/APSU ATHLETICS

For the first time in program history, Austin Peay men’s basketball is Atlantic Sun Conference Champions.

Austin Peay claimed the 19th championship in program history, the 13th regular-season title in the program’s 95-year history and the first regular-season title since the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference campaign in a 65-61 victory against Jacksonville on Feb. 21.

Rashaud Marshall led the way to the Governors’ (21-6, 15-1 ASUN) 10th-straight win with 26 points and seven rebounds. Graduate forward Collin Parker followed Marshall in the scoring column while adding a team-best eight rebounds and six assists in APSU’s first win against the Jacksonville in the Sunshine State.

Jacksonville (10-19, 5-11 ASUN) led for the first six-and-a-half minutes of Saturday’s contest until back-to-back layups by Parker gave Austin Peay a 14-13 lead with 12:14 remaining in the opening period. Parker made the Govs’ next three baskets, as each of the next seven scores – and eight of the next 10 – by both sides over the next five minutes resulted in lead changes.

A Creighton Morisch make under the rim gave the Govs a 22-19 lead with under eight minutes to play in the half. However, it was answered by six-straight JU points as the Dolphins retook a one-score advantage. Austin Peay ended the half on an 11-3 run to take a five-point lead heading into the break.

Austin Peay shot 40.6 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes with Marshall going 4-for-8 from the field with 13 points, accounting for eight of APSU’s 22 points in the paint.

The Governors held Jacksonville to just one field goal in the first five minutes of the second half, extending their lead to as many as 12 points following a perfect trip to the line by Parker with 15:45 remaining in regulation. After cutting its deficit to just one score in the final seven minutes, a JU free throw following the under-four media timeout tied the game at 59.

Ja’Corey Robinson quickly regained the lead for the Govs following the free throw with a driving layup and a pair of missed JU free throws followed by five-straight misses from the field helped the Govs extend their lead back to four points in the final 36 seconds.

After missing the front half of a one-and-one with 9.8 to play, JU responded with a layup followed by a timeout. After the brief break, Parker went 2-for-2 from the line, sealing both the win and the first ASUN Championship in program history.