MUNCIE, Indiana – The end to a five-day northern road trip awaits when Austin Peay State University women's basketball team meets Ball State in a 6 p.m. (CT), Monday contest at John E. Worthen Arena.
The Govs are seeking to end the road trip on a winning note after dropping the first two games of the excursion. Austin Peay opened the road trip and its 2015-16 road schedule with a 75-60 loss at Miami University, Thursday. The Govs followed that with a 77-56 loss at Wright State, Saturday.
In its latest outing, Austin Peay could not keep up offensively with the Raiders, particularly in the second half. Wright State outscored the Govs 46-27 in the final two quarters to break open a game that was a two-point, 31-29, contest at halftime. In the loss, junior center Tearra Banks posted her season's first double-double with a 19-point, 10-rebound performance.
In the road trip's first two games, Banks and senior guard Tiasha Gray have each scored 30 points (15.0 points per game). Sophomore guard Madison Rich has added 11.5 points per game thanks to a team-best five three pointers. However, those three are the only APSU players averaging double-digit scoring entering the Ball State game.
Austin Peay and Ball State meet for the first time since the 2012-13 season. In that last meeting, which Austin Peay won 79-66, a current senior on each team provided key contributions as a freshman. Gray had 11 points and three assists to aid Austin Peay. Ball State's Nathalie Fontaine's 13 points were second-most in the outing.
THE MORE YOU KNOW
GRAY MILESTONE WATCH STARTS: Senior guard Tiasha Gray became Austin Peay's all-time steals leader at Miami University, Nov. 19. She also is within sight of the following milestones during her final season in an Austin Peay uniform:
OVC Career Steals | Currently 11th (247) | Next: 249 by Two Players
APSU Career Steals | Currently 1st (247) | Previous Record: 243 by Tracie Mason (1987-91)
APSU Career Points | Currently 7th (1,383) | Next: 1,442 by Amanda Behrenbrinker (1994-98)
APSU Career Assists | Currently 5th (384) | Next: 387 by Ashley Haynes (2002-06)
MIDLICK MUSINGS: The biggest story line during the Austin Peay offseason was the hiring of David Midlick as the program's 15th head coach. He is a familiar face to Austin Peay fans, returning to Clarksville after previous stints as a men's basketball graduate assistant (2003-06) and women's basketball assistant coach (2010-12). Midlick was involved in the recruiting for the current senior class, but did not have the opportunity to coach them, departing to become head coach at Delta State in 2012.
GOVS LEDGER: Midlick inherits an Austin Peay women's basketball team largely unchanged from its 2014-15 edition. Four starters and 11 letterwinners return from a team that posted the program's best record since 2010-11. Senior guard Tiasha Gray highlights the returning group after earning Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors last season. Also returning are junior Tearra Banks, sophomore Brianne Alexander, senior Jennifer Nwokocha and junior Beth Rates – composing five of the team's top six in both scoring and rebounding.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Ball State dropped its season opener at Charlotte but rebounded with a quality home win against Western Kentucky in its last outing. Senior guard Nathalie Fontaine tied her career high with 30 points in the win against the Hilltoppers, scoring 24 points in the second half. Fontaine has 1,550 points and 676 rebounds during her Ball State career, ranking fifth and tenth on Ball State's career lists, respectively. The Cardinals were picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference's West Division. Fontaine and junior Jill Morrison were named to the Preseason All-MAC West Division squad. Ball State head coach Brady Sallee is a familiar face to Austin Peay fans, previously coaching eight seasons at Eastern Illinois. He has an 11-10 record against the Govs all-time, including an 11-9 record while with the Panthers.
AN AUSTIN PEAY WIN WOULD: Be its second consecutive win against Ball State, leveling its record (2-2) against the Cardinals… End a 12-game losing streak in nonconference road games (last win Nov. 12, 2013 at Southern Illinois)… Make head coach David Midlick 3-3 in his first season at Austin Peay and 48-19 in his third season as a head coach overall… Make the Govs 454-653 overall since 1976-77.
