THE LEAD
CLARKSVILLE – Senior guard Tiasha Gray scored 26 points as Austin Peay State University women's basketball team eased by Kentucky Wesleyan, 88-67, in exhibition action, Thursday night, at the Dunn Center.

WHO GOVERNED
Gray finished with 26 points, making 9-of-15 from the floor and all six of her free throw tries. She chipped in a team co-leading nine rebounds and four assists in her 31-minute outing.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Austin Peay scored the game's first five points and led 22-15 after the first quarter. The Lady Govs opened the game up in the second quarter, closing the half with a 13-4 run over the final five minutes and led 47-27 at the midpoint.

APSU maintained that lead through the third quarter, winning the period by a 22-18 margin to extend its advantage to 23 points, 68-45.

Kentucky Wesleyan won the fourth quarter, 22-20, but did not get within 18 points of the APSU lead.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Gray's 26 points dominated the box score, but she was one of four APSU players to reach double-digit scoring territory.

Junior Beth Rates pieced together a 13-point, seven-rebound performance. Redshirt freshman Fallon Baker added 15 points thanks to four three-pointers.

Freshman J'Nayah Hall chipped in 10 points, tied for the team lead with nine rebounds and led the Lady Govs in assists (five) and steals (three).  

Austin Peay scored 20 or more points in all four quarters while holding Kentucky Wesleyan under 20 points until the fourth quarter.

The game was a messy affair with 54 total fouls called in the contest and 13 jump ball situations, leading to a 1:50 time of game.

THE FULL RECAP
Austin Peay scored the game's first five points in less than a minute as junior Beth Rates hit a jumper while Madison Rich and Tiasha Gray combined for three free throws. The Lady Govs could not extend their lead for the next six minutes as they traded baskets with Kentucky Wesleyan. Austin Peay closed the first quarter with three straight points to take a 22-15 lead.

The Lady Govs carried that momentum into the second quarter, pushing its lead into double-digit territory, 28-18, on Gray's three-pointer with 8:13 left in the half. Austin Peay extended the lead further with a half-ending 13-3 run that saw five different players contribute en route to a 47-27 halftime lead.

The third quarter saw Austin Peay push its advantage to 28 points, 60-32, midway through the frame after Gray scored four straight points. Kentucky Wesleyan closed the perdod with a 6-2 run, trimming the APSU lead to 68-45 after three quarters.

Kentucky Wesleyan carried that momentum into the final quarter, scoring the first five points to get within 18 points, 68-50, just 1:12 into the period. Gray stopped the threat with back-to-back baskets and Austin Peay would not be threatened again.

Gray finished with a game-best 26 points, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and eight in the second quarter. Redshirt freshman Falon Baker scored 11 points in the second half and finished with 15 points. Rates added 13 points while freshman J'Nayah Hall added 10 points while leading the team in rebounds (nine), assists (five) and steals (three).

Erin Dorn, Brittany Wells and Katie Miller each had 11 points to pace Kentucky Wesleyan. No Panthers player finished with more than four rebounds.

Austin Peay now readies for its season opener in eight days, a 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13 contest against California at the Dunn Center.