CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Despite surrendering a 14-point second-half lead, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team opened its Ohio Valley Conference schedule with a 75-71 overtime victory against Morehead State, Thursday night.
The win was the third straight for the Lady Govs as they improve to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in league play. Morehead State lost for the fifth time in its last six outings and dropped to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
Morehead State held the game's early momentum, scoring seven of the game's first nine points. The Lady Eagles lead would reach six points, 15-9, with 9:50 remaining after a field goal by Brittany Pittman. From there, Morehead State's offense hit the skids as they went without a field goal over the next three minutes.
Austin Peay would grab control of the game with 13 consecutive points during that three-minute drought and led by seven, 22-15, with 6:02 remaining. Freshman Ashley Herring's jumper with 7:53 remaining punctuated the scoring run and gave the Lady Govs a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
That is not to say Morehead State went away quietly as it cut into the Austin Peay lead and trailed by three points, 27-24, at halftime. The Eagles returned after the halftime break and cut the lead to one point after a pair of Pittman free throws at the 19:01 mark.
The Lady Govs tried valiantly to put the Lady Eagles away, using an 18-5 run over the next four minutes to build their largest lead ? a 14-point, 45-31 margin with 14:46 remaining. APSU built its lead by making 7-of-9 field goals and three free throws during that 4:15 stretch, including three field goals and seven points by freshman Alex Bivens. The lead would reach 14 points against after a pair of Ashley Herring free throws with 10:37 left.
The two teams traded baskets over the next eight minutes, with Morehead State getting as close as six points with 8:25 remaining before Austin Peay pushed the lead back to 12 points on April Thomas' layup with 2:49 remaining. Thomas' field goal would be the Lady Govs last in regulation as Morehead State closed the half with a 13-1 run that included a trio of three-point field goals, including Anitha Smith-Williams' three-point heave with 0.6 remaining that tied the game for only the second time all night.
In overtime, Austin Peay's freshman broke the game open early. Bivens hit a jumper to open the period's scoring and Herring hit 1-of-2 free throws and then hit a three-point field goal with 3:12 remaining. Sophomore Nicole Jamen's two free throws with 1:47 left pushed the lead to six combined to make four free throws to seal the victory.
McGee finished the night just shy of a triple double, finishing with 13 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Bivens led Austin Peay with 17 points while Herring added 15 points. Thomas chipped in a 13-point, eight-rebound performance.
Morehead State's Smith-Williams led all scorers with 18 points. Pittman finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals. Chynna Bozeman added 13 points and Tarah Combs added 12 points.
Austin Peay won the rebounding battle with a 48-37 margin, including a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Both teams were an identical 23-of-63 (36.5 percent) from the field, but the Lady Govs secured the victory at the free throw line where they made 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) against Morehead State's 16-of-21 (76.2 percent).
The Lady Govs return to action when they host Eastern Kentucky in a 2 p.m., Saturday contest at the Dunn Center.
- AP -
