NASHVILLE – Austin Peay State University women's basketball team battled back from an early deficit but could not find a game-tying basket in the final 30 seconds and fell to Belmont, 69-67, Monday night in Ohio Valley Conference action at the Curb Event Center.

Austin Peay (9-16, 6-6 OVC) trailed by six points with 5:27 remaining but scored the game's next eight points – sophomore Tiasha Gray hitting a layup with 2:49 left to give APSU a 62-60 lead. Belmont responded on its next possession and regained the lead when Jordyn Luffman converted a conventional three-point play.

The Lady Govs would tie the game one more time, 65-65, when junior Kristen Stainback hit a three-pointer with 1:20 left. The Bruins scored on their next possession and Austin Peay could not find a tying basket despite two opportunities within 5 feet. Belmont would hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to four points and Austin Peay would not recover.

Belmont (11-14, 8-4 OVC) led the entire first half. The Bruins scored the game's first four points and withstood a pair of Lady Govs runs that tied the game. Belmont then used an 8-0 run to open up a 19-11 lead with 10:31 left and extended that advantage to nine points, 25-16, with Katie Carroll's layup at the 8:30 mark.

Austin Peay scored the first half's final four points, cutting the deficit to one point, 34-33. However, a couple of close-range shots again went begging in the half's dying moments.

 The Lady Govs would grab their first lead, 38-36, on a Stainback layup at the 17:03 mark. Yet they would never lead by more than two points or for more than the ensuing Belmont possession.

Stainback led Austin Peay with 14 points, hitting two of the team's three three pointers. Freshman Beth Rates finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Gray added 12 points.

Lauren Thompson led Belmont with career-best 14 points off the bench. Taylor Mills and Frankie Joubran each added 13 points.

Austin Peay begins a three-game homestand when it hosts SIU Edwardsville in a 5:15 p.m., Saturday contest at the Dunn Center.