CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University women's basketball team wraps up its home nonconference schedule 7 p.m., Wednesday, when it hosts Kennesaw State in the Dunn Center.
Fans attending the game can receive a free ticket with the donation of an unopened toy to assist the Student Athlete Advisory Council's Help an Elf drive.
The Governors are 4-2 on their home court this season, and 13-5 under second-year head coach David Midlick. APSU's most recent win came in Clarksville – a thrilling 77-74 victory over East Tennessee, Nov. 30. Since then, the Govs have lost back-to-back games to Western Kentucky and Evansville.
However, in that span, senior center Tearra Banks has been superb which led to a pair of career milestones. In the WKU game, Banks eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau, and days later, captured her first OVC Player of the Week award. For the season, the Louisville native ranks second in the league in scoring (16.1 ppg), while her 55.7 field goal percentage is fourth in the OVC and 45th nationally.
The Opponent: Kennesaw State
After 29 years as a collegiate head coach, which included becoming the winningest coach at Pittsburgh, Agnus Berenato is in the midst of her first campaign with the Owls. Kennesaw State has opened the season 1-6 throughout a challenging nonconference slate, including games against Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Georgia.
KSU's lone win of 2016 came Nov. 26, a 72-60 nod over Savannah State. The Owls have two players averaging double figures, with Clara Young at 12.3 points per game and Allison Johnson close behind with 12.0 and a team-high 7.7 rebound per contest. Kennesaw State returns 11 letterwinners with just one newcomer on the squad.
The Owls average 54.1 points, while allowing opponents to score 71.7 per game.
Last Time Against the Owls
The two programs last met Dec. 12, 2015 in Kennesaw, with the Owls winning 73-65. For Austin Peay, Tiasha Gray and Tearra Banks combined to record 43 of the team's 61 shot attempts, finishing with 28 and 22 points, respectively.
APSU Storylines
- A force in the paint. In Saturday's game at Evansville, Banks led the team with 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. It was her fourth double-double and 11th of her career, and also has led APSU in scoring 15 times over her four years.
- Baker for three. Falon Baker returned from injury last season and lit it up front deep, hitting 48 threes with a 37.5 percentage. This season, she has knocked down 16 shots behind the arch, including three against Evansville, Saturday.
- Rates nearing 100 blocked shots. Senior forward Beth Rates needs one blocked shot to reach 100 for her career after moving to fifth all-time with 99 to pass Sonja Cox. She is now three away from tying Joanne Arnold for fourth place.
- B-Will on point. Junior point guard Bri Williams continues to produce numbers across the board, including four points, seven rebounds and five assists at Evansville.
Follow the Govs
Be sure to follow all the Austin Peay women's basketball action at LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. In addition, live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@AustinPeayWBB), while fans can listen to the game on the Governors Sports Network (104.1 FM) or watch live on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.
