COOKEVILLE
- Currently assured of only the fifth seed in the upcoming Ohio Valley
Conference Basketball Championship, Austin Peay women's basketball team will
look to remain in the race for a top-four finish when it meets league-leading
Tennessee Tech in a 5:30 p.m., Saturday contest at the Eblen Center.
The Lady
Govs ran their win streak to a season-best four games with a 56-53 victory at
Jacksonville State, Thursday. Austin Peay nearly surrendered a double-digit
lead for the second consecutive game, but survived a 16-turnover second-half
for the win. The victory secured APSU a top-five finish in the regular-season
race and they remained tied with Eastern Illinois for fourth place overall.
Junior
Jasmine Rayner led the Lady Govs with her season's fourth double-double,
scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Junior Whitney Hanley also scored
14 points and has led the team in scoring for each game of APSU's current win
streak.
Tennessee
Tech clinched a share of its league-record 16th regular-season title with its
76-62 victory against Tennessee State, Thursday. The Golden Eagles, who led by
two points at halftime, went to the free
throw line 26 times in the second half and scored 21 of their 39 second-half
points at the charity stripe. TTU can clinch the 2010-11 regular-season title
outright with a victory in either of its two remaining games.
Junior
Tacarra Hayes led Tennessee Tech with a 25-point, 16-rebound, 5-assist
performance against Tennessee State. Freshman Molly Heady (15 points, 7
rebounds) and junior transfer Brittany Darling (13 points, 7 rebounds) also
reached double-figures in scoring.
Tennessee
Tech won the season's first meeting between the teams, a 69-65 decision, Jan.
20, in Clarksville. The Golden Eagles used a 23-of-27 effort at the free-throw
line in the victory, but had to hold off a late Lady Govs run that cut the lead
to one point with 35 seconds remaining.
Rayner led
Austin Peay with a 16-point, 13-rebound effort and was one of four starters to
score more than 10 points. The Lady Govs bench was nearly nonexistent against
the Golden Eagles, scoring just two points. Hayes led Tennessee Tech with 23
points, eight rebounds and five assists.
KEY
NOTABLES FROM LADY GOVS at JACKSONVILLE STATE
-
Whitney Hanley (14 points) led the Lady Govs
in scoring for the fourth consecutive game, making three three pointers.
-
Jasmine Rayner posted her season's fourth
double-double sharing the scoring lead (14 points) with Hanley while grabbing a
team-best 12 rebounds.
-
Nicole Olszewski finished with nine points
(three three-point field goals), three rebounds and five assists.
-
Austin Peay tied its season low with three
free throws made but set a season low with just four free throw attempts.
Hanley was the only APSU player to make a free-throw attempt.
-
For the second consecutive game, Austin Peay
led by more than 15 points in the contest only to see the lead cut to one
possession in the game's final minute. They recorded the victory both times.
-
After committing just eight turnovers in the
first half, Austin Peay committed 16 second-half turnovers. Jacksonville State
recovered from an 11-turnover first half to record just five second-half
giveaways.
-
Austin Peay won for the first time this
season when scoring less than 60 points.
-
Jacksonville State held a 20-16 edge on the
offensive glass, but scored just six second-chance points - APSU scored 14
second-chance points.
-
Jacksonville State failed to make a
three-point field goal, becoming the first opponent this season to not record a
three-pointer. They also set an opponent season low with nine three-point field
goals attempted.
NEXT UP: EASTERN
ILLINOIS
Austin
Peay returns to the Dunn Center for its final two regular-season contests,
beginning with a 5:15 p.m., Thursday affair against Eastern Illinois. The
Panthers won this season's first meeting in Charleston and the two teams have
split the last six meetings in the series. Austin Peay holds a 9-5 series lead
at the Dunn Center, including last season's 66-55 victory in Clarksville.
NEXT CARRIE DANIELS
SHOW, WEDNESDAY
The
Carrie Daniels Show will return with a 6 p.m., Wednesday, show live from
Edwards Steakhouse on Franklin Street in Clarksville. Hosted by Brian Rives for
the third consecutive season, the show will air live on WVRY 105.1 FM and be
simulcast over the internet at LetsGoPeay.com.
