CHARLESTON, Ill. ? Sophomore Ashley Herring scored a career-high 33 points but Austin Peay State University women's basketball team dropped an 81-70 Ohio Valley Conference decision to Eastern Illinois, Saturday afternoon, at Lantz Arena.

Herring's 33-point outburst was the largest scoring production since Saundra Hale's 31-point effort against Tennessee Tech, Feb. 18, 2006. She did it with 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) field-goal shooting, including a 2-for-5 (40 percent) three-point performance. Herring added an 11-of-14 effort from the free-throw line. She also had a team-high seven rebounds, an assist and two steals in 32 minutes.

Austin Peay (3-5, 1-1 OVC) found itself in a 19-point, 50-31, hole just 2:47 into the second half. But a 16-4 scoring run ? which was punctuated by a pair of Alex Bivens three-point field goals ? cut the lead to seven points , 54-47, with 11:13 remaining.

Eastern Illinois (6-3, 2-0 OVC) pushed its lead back to 14 points, 66-52 with 7:09 remaining, courtesy a 12-5 run. Later, Austin Peay got eight straight points from Herring, slashing the lead to six points, 72-66 with 3:27 left. However, that as close as the Lady Govs would get as the Panthers hit all six of its free throws in the final minute.

The Panthers broke out to an early 10-point, 13-3, lead in the game's opening five minutes. The Lady Govs would get back to eight points before EIU used a 19-9 scoring run to build an 18-point, 36-18, lead with just 3:44 left. Eastern Illinois would take a 42-28 lead into halftime.

Junior Nicole Jamen added 14 points and was the only other Lady Govs player to reach double-digits in scoring.

Rachel Galligan led Eastern Illinois with 20 points and Dominique Sims chipped in 15 points to lead Eastern Illinois.

Austin Peay has the upcoming week off for academic finals before hosting SIU Edwardsville in a 7 p.m., Saturday, contest at the Dunn Center. It will be the Lady Govs only December home contest before another four-game road trip.

- AP -