CLARKSVILLE - A poor second-half performance doomed Austin Peay State University women's basketball team in a 90-52 loss to No. 8 Louisville, Thursday night at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay (0-2) trailed by 15 at the break and narrowed the gap slightly to 14 points, 52-38, with 17:52 remaining on senior Leslie Martinez' three pointer. However, the Lady Govs would go the next 10 minutes without a field goal.

Louisville (3-0) used the Lady Govs sudden shooting woes to piece together a 30-2 run during that 10-minute span to break the game open. The Cardinals led 72-40 by the time Martinez struck again with a jumper at the 7:50 mark and they would not look back.

The Lady Govs began the game with an impressive defensive start, forcing four straight Cardinals turnovers. Yet they could not convert on the offensive end, leading only 2-0 after the first 2:35. Louisville would end its game-opening drought with back-to-back three pointers by Antonita Slaughter and led 6-2 at the 16:40 mark.

Louisville made the game's first run, a 10-0 burst over 2:19 to build a 13-point, 30-17, lead on Monique Reid's layup with 10:19 remaining in the frame. Austin Peay responded right back with its own 10-0 run over the next 3:49, cutting the lead back to three points, 30-27, on senior Kaitlyn Hill's layup with 7:38 remaining.

Austin Peay could not maintain that momentum and went the next five minutes without a point, losing six of its next 11 possessions courtesy a turnover. Louisville used a 14-0 run during that drought to push the lead to 17 points, 44-27, with 2:22 remaining. Austin Peay would close to within 13 points with 27 seconds left, but Louisville scored the half's final basket to take a 48-33 halftime lead.

Martinez led Austin Peay with a 14-point performance, but was held to 5-of-12 shooting. Hill added nine points and grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds.

Reid's 14 points led a Louisville bench effort that swamped the Lady Govs bench by a 46-9 count. Among Louisville's starters, Shoni Schimmel finished with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double effort.

Austin Peay returns to action when it hosts Binghamton in a 2 p.m., Sunday contest at the Dunn Center.