EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Junior guard Whitney Hanley was a one-woman show, but it was not enough as Austin Peay State University women's basketball team dropped a 72-60 non-conference decision to SIU Edwardsville, Friday night at the Vadalabene Center.

Hanley recorded the Lady Govs first double-double this season, leading the team with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in her 39-minute outing. She was 8-of-19 from the field, including 2-of-9 from three-point range.

"Whitney was definitely the only positive we had out there, said Lady Govs head coach Carrie Daniels. "She had a complete game for us across the board. I believe it was Whitney against SIU Edwardsville. If she had had some help out there maybe we could've been a little more competitive tonight."

However, Austin Peay (1-5) could not shake a lack of production from its frontcourt, which was led by senior Dalila Thomas' 12-point effort. The Lady Govs were dominated in the paint where the Cougars posted a 34-24 advantage. SIUE sophomore center Raven Berry led the effort with season-bests in scoring (18) and rebounding (11).

"We started off the season and our posts were stepping up and the guards were kind of behind the curve," Daniels said. "Lately, Whitney and the guards have shown up and our posts haven't been producing. At some point we have to have some balance and get production from both the posts and guards at both ends of the court."

Austin Peay got off to a quick start and led 6-2 four minutes into the contest. But SIU Edwardsville (1-4) scored 13 of the game's next 15 points to take a 13-8 lead with 11:38 remaining and would not trail again.  The Lady Govs would keep the margin in single digits the rest of the half and closed back within two points, 30-28, with 36 seconds remaining but entered halftime trailing 33-30.

The Cougars scored the second half's first 11 points to put the game out of reach. Austin Peay went without a field goal until sophomore Meghan Bussabarger banked in a layup with 15:06 remaining to end the drought, APSU trailing by a 44-32 margin.

The Lady Govs would make one valiant effort to cut the deficit, piecing together a 12-5 run. Senior guards Salem Richardson and Brooke Faulkner made consecutive field goals - Faulkner's from three-point range - to cut the lead to seven points, 53-46 with 9:52 left.

But SIU Edwardsville ended the threat with eight straight points to build a 15-point, 63-48, advantage and they would not be threatened again.

The Cougars' Sydney Stahlberg also filled out the box score, scoring a career-high 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out four assists and grabbing a career-high six steals. Jazmin Hill led SIUE's scoring effort with a career-high 25 point outing.

"We have to get better as a team, I don't believe we're in sync, we're not clicking or gelling," said Daniels. "The talent is there, we've seen good things in spurts, but we'll make a run and then we fall apart - especially on the defensive end. It doesn't matter if you score if you go back and give it up on the other end of the court. We have to make a commitment with defense and rebounding as our priorities."

Austin Peay continues its seven-game road trip with a 2:05 p.m., Sunday contest at Southern Illinois in Carbondale.

-AP-