RICHMOND, Ky. - After a solid first half netted it a two-point deficit, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team saw poor second half shooting haunt it in a 69-55 Ohio Valley Conference loss to East-Division leader Eastern Kentucky, Saturday, at McBrayer Arena.

Austin Peay (7-19, 2-12 OVC) hung with the Lady Colonels through the first half, but the Lady Govs 29.4 percent mark from the field in the second half - including an 0-for-9 tally behind the three-point line - ultimately doomed head coach Carrie Daniels' squad against Eastern Kentucky (17-8, 11-3 OVC).

After a slow start put the Lady Govs behind early, Austin Peay embarked on a 10-4 run to keep the contest within reach. Freshman Tiasha Gray continued her evolution into the point guard of the present rather than the future, running the offense with aplomb while setting up shots for her teammates and herself (team-high eight first-half points).

Austin Peay was buoyed by a stingy defense that forced Eastern Kentucky into poor shot selection rather than its customary thievery in the first half. Austin Peay held the Lady Colonels to 21.4 percent shooting in the half, including an abysmal 3-for-16 mark from beyond the three-point line, which was hurt by the attempt of several too-deep-for-their-own-good three-point attempts.

Eastern Kentucky carried a 25-23 advantage into halftime thanks in large part to its rebounding prowess. The Lady Colonels outrebounded Austin Peay 29-22 in the opening 20 minutes, including 17 offensive boards that led to 14 second-chance points.

The second half belonged to Eastern Kentucky, which hit nearly 50 percent from the field (15-for-32) and forced several early, often poor, shots by Austin Peay. The Lady Govs ball movement was lacking in the second period as well, with Austin Peay managing only one assist, by Gray on an Alexis Hardaway lay-up, after halftime.

Hardaway did her part on the boards. The freshman from Byhalia, Miss., pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, her first double-digit performance. That total was the most rebounds in a single game by a Lady Gov since Jasmine Rayner's 15-rebound performance at Duquesne, Dec. 30, 2010.

Hardaway's adversary, Eastern Kentucky's Alex Jones, had a massive day, finishing with 16 points and 21 rebounds. Marie Carpenter came off the bench for 16 points as well.

For the Lady Govs, senior Meghan Bussabarger came off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points - she's now 20 away from 1,000 for her career with two games remaining. Gray scored 16 and led the Lady Govs with four assists.

Austin Peay concludes its season with a two-game homestand, against Belmont (Feb. 27) and UT Martin (March 2), next week.