THE LEAD
CLARKSVILLE – Saturday nights at the Dunn Center have been something special for Austin Peay State University women's basketball team and the trend held true in an 80-70 upset win of Ohio Valley Conference leader UT Martin.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UT Martin made its first five shots of the game, including two Jessy Ward three pointers to build a five-point lead, 12-8, just over three minutes into the quarter. Austin Peay responded by scoring on each of its next six possessions to compile a 13-5 run to take the lead 21-18 with 3:16 left. APSU led 28-27 after the first quarter.
Austin Peay opened the second quarter with a 16-4 run as the trio of senior guard Tiasha Gray, junior center Tearra Banks and freshman guard Falon Baker supplied all 16 APSU points. That pushed the Govs lead to 14 points, 44-30, with 5:29 left and proved to be the decisive burst.
UT Martin could not capitalize on a nearly four-minute APSU scoring drought in the third quarter. The Skyhawks went just 3-of-6 from the floor for a 6-0 run that trimmed the Govs deficit to two points, 59-57, with 1:09 left.
Austin Peay would score the game's next four points to end the third and opened the fourth with a 5-2 burst for a nine-point lead, 68-59, with 6:12 left that put the game safely away.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Austin Peay improved to 5-0 on home Saturday's in 2015-16, including a 4-0 mark in OVC action. The Govs have scored 80 or more points in all five of those contests.
Junior forward Beth Rates set a season high with 13 rebounds, her second double-digit rebounding effort this season.
Sophomore guard Madison Rich supplied 12 points off the bench. It was her seventh double-digit scoring outing this season and first season the Govs OVC opening win against Eastern Kentucky.
Austin Peay's 53-point first half was its fifth 50-point half this season. However, it was only the second time they have put up 50 in the first half of a game this season. Austin Peay is 4-1 when scoring 50 in any half this season.
The Govs ended a nine-game losing streak to UT Martin that dated back to a 69-61 home win on Feb. 3, 2011. Austin Peay improved to 5-8 in conference action and saw the tie for sixth-place shrink to two teams – it and Murray State. The Govs moved from ninth in the standings to sixth with the win.
THE FULL RECAP
Austin Peay (8-18, 6-7 OVC), which improved to 5-0 in home Saturday dates, took control of the contest with a 16-3 run in the opening 4:31 of the second quarter. The burst was spurred by the trio of senior guard Tiasha Gray, junior center Tearra Banks and freshman guard Falon Baker who combined for all 16 APSU points. The Govs, who held a one point lead after the first quarter, held a 44-30 advantage after the opening run.
The Govs would see that lead shrink during the rest of the second quarter, UT Martin closing to within three points on a Jessy Ward three-pointer with 52 seconds left. But Banks would strike again with a layup on the next APSU possession for a 53-48 halftime lead.
The second half proved to be a defensive struggle, with neither team matching their first half output. UT Martin (17-8, 10-2 OVC) had a golden opportunity to close the deficit in the third quarter during a four minute shooting drought by APSU. But the Skyhawks saw the opportunity slip by as they only scored six points, closing within two points, 59-57, after Katie Schubert's layup with 1:09 left.
Gray responded with the third quarter's final four points, extending the Govs lead back to six points, 63-57, at quarter's end. Austin Peay then used a Banks layup and Rich three-pointer to push the lead to nine points early in the fourth.
UT Martin closed back to within four points on a 5-0 run, but Austin Peay closed the game with a 8-3 burst that saw it convert on 6-of-8 free-throws in the final 1:05 to secure the win.
Gray finished with a game-high 29 points, making 10-of-22 from the floor and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Madison Rich and Banks each supplied 12 points and Baker added 10 points. Junior forward Beth Rates grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and had six points.
Ward led UT Martin with 22 points but was held scoreless in the second half. Haley Howard added 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Skyhawks had five players reach double-digit scoring territory.
The Skyhawks opened the game making 19-of-31 (61.3 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from three-point range. However, Austin Peay's defense stiffened in the second half and limited UTM to 7-of-31 (22.6 percent) shooting and did not surrender a three pointer on 12 attempts.
Austin Peay prepares to close out the road portion of its regular-season slate when it meets third place SIUE in an 11:30 a.m., Wednesday contest in Edwardsville, Illinois.
