CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? The record high temperatures outside did not translate inside the Dunn Center as Austin Peay State University women's basketball team shot just 27 percent from the field in a 75-52 Ohio Valley Conference loss to Eastern Illinois, Monday night.
The loss was Austin Peay's seventh straight ? its longest losing streak since the 1998-99 season ? and it fell to 4-10 overall and 1-4 in league action. Eastern Illinois improved to 7-8 overall and extended its conference lead to one full game with a 6-1 conference mark.
Austin Peay missed its first six field goal attempts over the opening 7½ minutes until Alex Bivens jumper from the low block rattled home at the 12:38 mark. Despite the slow start, the Lady Govs made their first six free throws during the same span and trailed only 10-8 after Bivens' field goal.
The Lady Govs would remain within a couple of possessions over the next four minutes and trailed by three points, 19-16, at the 8:15 mark. However, a five-minute scoring drought allowed Eastern Illinois to extend the lead to seven points and ? after an April Thomas jumper at the 3:38 mark ? a half-ending drought from the field allowed the visiting Panthers to extend the lead to 15 points, 34-19, going into halftime. EIU closed the final 8:15 with a 15-3 scoring run that included eight free throws to end the period.
Eastern Illinois opened the second half with nine consecutive points to push its lead to 24 points, 43-19, just three minutes into the period. The Lady Govs would threaten midway through the period when they scored 11 straight points ? six coming on Ashley McGee's back-to-back three-point field goals ? to cut the lead to 12 points, 48-36, with 10:28 left. But EIU responded with eight of the next nine points to effectively close the door.
McGee led Austin Peay with 17 points on 6-of-10 field-goal shooting, including a 4-of-6 effort from three-point range. Junior April Thomas added 11 points, nine coming from the free-throw line. The Lady Govs were just 15-of-55 (27.3 percent) from the field, their second-lowest field-goal percentage this season.
EIU junior Rachel Galligan led all scorers with 26 points, making 10-of-14 from the field and all six of her free throw attempts. Ellen Canale added 13 points. The Panthers made 24-of-47 (51.1 percent) from the field, a new season-high by an Austin Peay opponent. EIU also capitalized on APSU's 21 turnovers, scoring 32 points off those miscues.
Austin Peay returns to action with a 5:30 p.m., Thursday, contest at Murray State.
- AP -
