CLARKSVILLE – For the second straight game, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team saw its shooting cool in the second half. The Lady Govs fell to Eastern Illinois in a tightly-contested 65-63 contest that dealt a blow to Austin Peay's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament aspirations.

The Lady Govs (9-18, 6-8 OVC) fell to eighth in the conference race, a half-game up on Morehead State and a game ahead of SIU Edwardsville for the final tournament spot. Eastern Illinois (11-13, 6-7 OVC) moved ahead of the Lady Govs and into second in the OVC West Division, seventh overall in the conference standings.

Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois spent much of the first half trading baskets, with neither side able to pull ahead by more than six. However, the Lady Govs closed on a 16-7 run to take a six-point advantage into the half. Sophomore guard Tiasha Gray led all scorers with 17 points at the intermission, and scored 12 of those points during Austin Peay's late first-half run.

The Lady Govs would see their lead swell to 10 on a Jennifer Nwokocha lay-up with 11:06 remaining in the contest. But the Panthers would go on a quick 17-6 run to re-take the lead at 57-56 with 6:29 remaining.

The squads traded baskets down the stretch, with Austin Peay taking its final lead on a three-point play by Gray with 3:41 remaining. The Clarksville native finished with a team-high 24 points and equaled her career high with seven steals.

After a Sabina Oroszova jumper gave the Panthers a three-point lead, Gray's lay-up cut the deficit to one; the following Panther possession, Oroszova missed a three that gave Austin Peay a chance to take the lead with under a minute left. With the clock moving toward ten seconds remaining, Gray got a good look on a jumper from the elbow that bounced off the rim to Oroszova.

Gray got another chance after Oroszova made one-of-two from the line; the Lady Govs got the ball back with less than six seconds left, but Gray's desperation 25-footer bounced away, allowing the Panthers to escape the Dunn Center with a win.

Freshman Tearra Banks narrowly missed a double-double, posting an 11-point, 9-rebound effort. Junior Kristen Stainback was the only other Lady Gov in double figures, scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 from the field.

Oroszova led the Panthers with 24 points, but was held below her OVC-leading rebounding total; she finished with eight on the night. Jordyne Crunk (14 points) and Morgan Palombizio (11 points) were also in double figures for Eastern Illinois.

Austin Peay returns to the Dunn Center one more time during the 2013-14 campaign, closing out the home schedule against Eastern Kentucky, 5:15 p.m., Saturday on Senior Night.