NASHVILLE - An 18-point
first half put Austin Peay State University women's basketball team in a hole
it could not dig out as it dropped a 68-57 Ohio Valley Conference contest to
Tennessee State, Saturday night at the Gentry Center.
Despite a poor shooting
performance - it made just 20.7 percent of its first-half field goals - Austin
Peay (9-16, 8-6 OVC) was within four points, 20-16, with 6:50 remaining in the
period. But the offense went without a point for 6:42 of the remaining time,
only a Whitney Hanley basket ending the drought with eight seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, Tennessee State closed the half with a 12-2 run and took a 32-18
lead into halftime.
Both offenses opened up
in the second half, Tennessee State (9-14, 0-0) getting the better performance
to start the period. The Lady Tigers built their lead to 22 points, 52-30, with
13 minutes remaining.
Austin Peay cut the
lead to single digits courtesy a 17-4 run over the next six minutes. The Lady
Govs did their damage at the line, making 9-of-10 during the stretch, with
Meghan Bussabarger adding five points from the field.
Tennessee State
regained control by scoring the next four points and it was not threatened
again.
The Lady Govs scored 26
points from the free-throw line - they made a season-best 83.9 percent for the
contest - nearly topping their output from the field (31 points). Austin Peay
made just 14-of-53 from the field, tying a season-low for field goals made.
Ashley Herring led the
Lady Govs with 14 points and Nicole Jamen and Brooke Faulkner each added 10
points. Dalila Thomas came off the bench to grab a team-high seven rebounds.
Tennessee State had no
such offensive troubles, making 45.5 percent (25-of-55) of its field goals and
42.9 percent (6-of-14) of its three-pointers.
The Lady Tigers' Meredith
Stafford led all scorers with 25 points, making nine field goals. Oby Okaford
added 14 points.
Austin Peay returns
home for its final regular-season homestand, beginning with a 5:15 p.m.,
Thursday contest against Jacksonville State. That game has been rescheduled
from its original 7 p.m. start.
- AP -
