THE LEAD
NASHVILLE – Austin Peay State University's second half charge was enough to tie the game but came up short in a 73-56 loss to host Vanderbilt, Friday afternoon, in the opening game of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Classic at Memorial Gym.
WHO GOVERNED
Redshirt freshman Falon Baker brought the heat with a career-high 20-point performance. She converted on 6-of-8 from three-point range, tacked on three rebounds and had two assists in 37 minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After trailing by 12 at halftime, Austin Peay could not close the deficit through the third quarter as Vanderbilt responded to each APSU burst. However, the Govs closed with six straight points as junior Tearra Banks and senior Tiasha Gray each scored to cut the deficit to seven points, 47-40.
The Govs run bled into the fourth quarter as it scored eight of the first nine points – a Baker three-pointer tying the game 47-47 with 7:29 left in the game to force a Vanderbilt timeout.
Vanderbilt took control with a 19-0 run after its timeout and eventually claimed the fourth quarter by a 22-14 margin.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
After being held to 34.8 percent (8-of-23) shooting in the first half, Austin Peay broke out with a 50 percent (12-of-24) effort in the second half. However, Vanderbilt shot 57.7 percent (30-of-52) from the floor in the game.
Behind Baker's six three-pointers, Austin Peay tied its season high with nine three pointers. The Govs did shoot a season-best 42.9 percent from three-point range.
Senior Tiasha Gray had three steals and broke through the 250 career-steal mark – finishing with 251 career steals – and into the Ohio Valley Conference's career top 10 list.
THE FULL RECAP
Austin Peay (2-5) trailed by 12 points at halftime and by double digits for most of the third quarter as Vanderbilt responded to each charge. The Govs put a lasting dent into its deficit when it closed the quarter with six straight points. Junior center Tearra Banks converted a traditional three-point play and senior Tiasha Gray followed with a three-pointer as Austin Peay trailed by seven points, 47-40, at the end of three quarter.
The Govs kept the pressure on to start the fourth quarter, scoring eight of the period's first nine points. Redshirt freshman Falon Baker tied the game, 48-48, with a three-pointer at the 7:29 mark and also forced a Vanderbilt timeout.
Vanderbilt (3-2) broke out of the huddle and out of the tie with 19 consecutive points – making 8-of-9 from the floor – over the next five minutes. Baker would stop the run with a three-pointer at the 2:08 mark but could not spur another Austin Peay run.
The Commodores led the first half in wire-to-wire fashion, scoring the first quarter's six points and closing with the half's final nine points to build a 12-point, 31-19 halftime lead. Austin Peay won the third quarter, 21-16, thanks to its quarter-ending burst to set up the fourth quarter.
Baker finished with a career-high 20 points thanks to a career-best 6-of-8 effort from three-point range. Gray added 16 points and also had three steals to finish the day with 251 career steals. Banks added 11 points in 17 minutes.
Rebekah Dahlman led Vanderbilt with 17 points off the bench. In fact, the Commodores top three scorers each came off the bench as Marq'ues Webb and Kristen Gaffney each had 12 points. Starter Minta Spears dished out 14 assists.
Austin Peay will play the noon, Saturday consolation contest against either Ohio or Indiana.
