JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Coming off a nail-biter overtime victory over Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team goes for its second-straight OVC win, 4:30 p.m., Saturday, at Jacksonville State.
The Governors hope to carry their offensive spark into the Pete Mathews Coliseum after posting 87 points at TTU. It was the highest point total by APSU since dropping 91 points against the Golden Eagles during the 2015-16 season.
Austin Peay also reached season-highs in multiple categories, including three-pointers made (10), free throws made (25), free throw percentage (75.8 percent) and assists (21). Five Govs finished in double figures, the most since Dec. 5, 2015 at Western Kentucky, led by senior center Tearra Banks' 22 points.
A three-pointer by Tennessee Tech with one second remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime, and Austin Peay relied on its free throw shooting to total all 10 points in the overtime period at the foul line. It was the first overtime win by the Govs since 2012.
The Opponent: Jacksonville State
Under fourth-year head coach Rick Pietri, the Gamecocks are 7-8 overall but are winless in conference play after falling to UT Martin, Eastern Illinois and Murray State. In their nonconference schedule, JSU faced the likes of Florida State, Ole Miss and Clemson, nearly knocking off the Tigers with a 69-63 score.
Senior guard Briana Benson is the leader of the Gamecocks, averaging 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while also hitting 88 percent at the free throw line. Another senior, Lacey Buchanon, enters Saturday at 9.1 points per contest, while Tyler Phelion is the team's leading rebounder at 7.0 per outing.
Last Time Against the Gamecocks
In a defensive battle, Austin Peay held on for a 61-59 victory over the Gamecocks, Jan. 7, 2016, in Clarksville, with Tiasha Gray blocking a JSU shot which would have tied the game at the buzzer. Three players recorded double figures for the Govs – Gray (16), Falon Baker (13) and Keisha Gregory (11) – while Sydney Gooch nearly recorded a double-double with nine points, 10 rebounds.
APSU Storylines
- Banks moves to 14th in all-time scoring. With her 22 points at Tennessee Tech, Thursday, senior center Tearra Banks moved to 14th in all-time APSU scoring. Banks passed Carrie Daniels on the list, and is now 59 points from overtaking Ashley Herring for 13th, currently at 1,124 career points.
- Rates climbing the charts. With three blocks against the Golden Eagles, senior forward Beth Rates is now 10 away from tying Ashley Haynes for third-most in APSU history.
- Baker for three. Following her red-hot shooting display at TTU where she nailed five three-pointers, redshirt sophomore guard Falon Baker has knocked down 24 shots behind the arch this season. She finished with a season-high 19 points, Thursday.
- B-Will on point. Junior point guard Bri Williams did a little bit of everything in her 44 minutes on the floor at Tennessee Tech. Williams posted the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while also leading the team in assists (five) and steals (five, a career-high).
- Gregory breaks out. Sophomore guard Keisha Gregory found her rhythm in Cookeville, connecting on three triples for a career-best 13 points. She also set career-highs in blocks (three), field goals made (four), field goal attempted (11), three-pointers made (three) and three-point attempts (seven).
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 watch the game on OVCDigitalNetwork.com or tune in to the Governors Sports Network (104.1 FM).
