CLARKSVILLE - Austin Peay women's basketball team fended off a second-half Murray State charge to post a 69-59 victory in Ohio Valley Conference play, Saturday night, at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay (9-16, 8-5 OVC) carried a five-point, 33-28 lead into halftime.  Murray State (6-17, 2-10) scored the half's first six points on consecutive three-point field goals by junior Mallory Shawab and grabbed its first lead, 35-34, just 1:30 into the half.

The Lady Govs battled back and used a 6-2 burst to rebuild its five-point advantage, 41-36, at the 14:51 mark. The two squads then traded scoring runs. Murray State scored seven straight points to take a 43-41 lead less than two minutes later.

Austin Peay followed that with the game's next 10 points over the next two-plus minutes to take a 51-43 lead which they would not surrender. Four different APSU players scored during the run: senior Dalila Thomas scored a pair of free throws, junior Jasmine Rayner added a conventional three-point play, sophomore Meghan Bussabarger chipped in a layup and junior Whitney Hanley ended the run with a three-point basket.

The Lady Govs did not trail in the opening half, scoring the game's first five points to force a Murray State timeout less than one minute in. The Racers closed within one point, 11-10, after a pair of Mariah Robinson free throws at the 17:29 mark. Austin Peay stemmed the run with the next five points.

Austin Peay pushed its first-half lead to a game-high 12 points, 31-19, courtesy a 10-0 run that ended on senior Brooke Faulkner's layup with 4:29 left. The Racers slowly chipped away at that lead, closing the half with a 9-2 run, leaving the Lady Govs a 33-28 halftime lead.

Five Austin Peay players scored 10 or more points. Hanley led the Lady Govs with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Bussabarger and Rayner each added 12 points while senior Brooke Faulkner and senior reserve Dalila Thomas each added 10 points.

Robinson led Murray State with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Jessica Winfrey added 16 points and nine rebounds.

Austin Peay will get a week off between games before hosting Tennessee State in a 5:15 p.m., Saturday contest at the Dunn Center.

-AP-