CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University women's basketball team dropped its season opener to Chattanooga, 64-50, Friday night at the Dunn Center.

The Lady Govs led 22-20 at the half, but were outscored by 16 points, 44-28, in the final frame. In the second half, Chattanooga (1-0) shot an even 17-for-32 (53.1 percent) from the field, including 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Austin Peay (0-1) was 17-for-57 (29.8 percent) from the field in the contest and 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from three-point range.

Chattanooga's Alex Anderson posted a double-double, leading all scorers with 26 points while grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds. Jenaya Wade-Fray joined her in double-figures with 13 points. Both Anderson and Wade-Fray played key roles in the Lady Mocs' second-half explosion.

A pair of freshmen, Ashley Herring and Alex Bivens, led the Lady Govs offense with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Senior Ashlee McGee added 10 points.
Bivens and Herring each got out to quick starts with nine points a piece in the first half. Bivens' scoring came on 3-for-4 shooting from behind the arc. Both teams combined for 24 turnovers in the first half, with Austin Peay turning 13 Chattanooga miscues into 13 points.

The Lady Govs built a six-point lead early in the second half on a three-pointer by McGee with 15:31 remaining. Anderson converted a conventional three-point play and a layup by Erin Ogan tied the game, 35-35, with 13:43 remaining and set the stage for the Lady Mocs surge.

The game was tied for the ninth and final time, 39-39, with 12:06 left before a pair of three-pointers by Wade-Fray built some distance for Chattanooga. With a six-point lead, 45-39, the Lady Mocs never looked back. An Amber Bacon jumper with 6:56 left narrowed the margin to two points, but Anderson would go on to score nine points in the game's remainder to seal the victory.

Austin Peay returns to action on the road when they visit Southeastern Conference member Arkansas in a 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 17 contest in Fayetteville, Ark.