INDIANS RELIEVED GOV'S TERM IS UP; BUBBA-LESS AUSTIN PEAY VISITS TONIGHT

Bubba is gone, and for that Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Gary Garner is thankful.

But even without Bubba Wells -- the nation's leading scorer last season -- Garner expects Austin Peay to be more than a formidable foe tonight.

The Indians and Governors will square off in a key early-season Ohio Valley Conference contest at the Show Me Center (7:30 tipoff).

"I never saw Bubba play and I heard all about him and I'm glad he's gone," said Garner of Wells, a forward who averaged more than 30 points per game last season and is now playing for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. "But Austin Peay is still going to be a very good basketball team."

Both teams opened OVC play Thursday night with losses. Austin Peay was beaten 76-65 at Eastern Illinois while Southeast suffered a heart-breaking 79-77 overtime setback at home to Tennessee State.

The Governors are 2-3 overall while the Indians are 3-2.

Austin Peay, which tied for last year's OVC regular-season championship with Murray State, was picked to finish third in the 10-team league this season while the Indians were selected sixth.

Even though the Governors lost the dynamic, do-everything Wells, they returned sufficient talent from last year, including two of the conference's better players in center Reggie Crenshaw and guard Joe Sibbitt.

Crenshaw, a 6-foot-7 senior, is averaging 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to lead the squad in both categories.

Sibbitt, a 5-10 senior who is one of the league's top long-range shooters, is averaging just over 11.2 points per contest.

Jerome Jackson, a 6-5 junior forward who is a junior-college transfer, has been coming off the bench to contribute 11.4 points a game. He is expected to start tonight.

No other Austin Peay player averages better than eight points per contest. Rounding out the starting lineup are 6-7 senior forward Jake Powers and 5-8 sophomore point guard J.J. Halliburton, a transfer from St. Louis University.

"Crenshaw and Sibbitt are excellent players and they've got other very good players to go with them," Garner said. "They are also a very well coached team and they've got some pretty good tradition going in the OVC over the past few years. Coach (Dave) Loos does a great job."

The Indians will be trying to bounce back from Thursday's tough loss to Tennessee State in which the Tigers' Seth Huber hit a 3-point shot with .5 seconds left in overtime to wipe out a 77-76 Southeast lead.

"That was an extremely tough loss, but our guys really played hard," said Garner. "Now the key is for us to bounce back. This is a really important game for us. We certainly don't want to start out 0-2 in the conference after having our first two games at home."

Senior center Bud Eley leads the Indians offensively at 18.2 points per game. Also averaging in double figures are Cory Johnson (13.8 ppg), Calvert White (12.8 ppg) and David Montgomery (10.0 ppg).

Eley, with one blocked shot against Tennessee State, is now Southeast's career leader in that category. He has 98 blocks, breaking the record of 97 previously held by Anthony Thomas, who played for the Indians from 1978-82.

Following tonight's game, the Indians will have nearly a month before they play another OVC contest. They'll turn their attention to a pair of big non-league games next week, playing at Southern Illinois Thursday night and Missouri Saturday afternoon.

Austin Peay at SEMO

7:30 p.m., Show Me Center

Probable Starters

SEMO (3-2, 0-1 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Calvert White F Sr. 6-4 12.8

David Montgomery F Jr. 6-8 10.0

Bud Eley C Sr. 6-10 18.2

Cory Johnson G Jr. 6-0 13.8

Kahn Cotton G Jr. 5-10 8.0

AP (2-3, 0-1 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Jerome Jackson F Jr. 6-5 11.4

Jake Powers F Sr. 6-7 5.2

Reggie Crenshaw C Sr. 6-7 13.2

Joe Sibbitt G Sr. 5-10 11.2

J.J. Halliburton G So. 5-8 4.2

Series: SEMO leads 8-7

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