CLARKSVILLE - Austin Peay State University women's basketball aims to continue its climb up the Ohio Valley Conference standings by taking on Jacksonville State, 2 p.m., Saturday, at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The Governors (10-10, 5-4 OVC) earned their second straight road win, this time over a Tennessee Tech squad that was previously unbeaten at home and came into the game tied for first place in the OVC with Belmont.
The Govs got a huge night from Brianah Ferby that spurred them on against the Golden Eagles. Ferby, who had struggled offensively recently, erupted for a season-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Ferby also knocked in two massive free throws at the end of the game, practically sealing the contest and ending a late charge from Tennessee Tech.
Arielle Gonzalez-Varner also had a good outing for the Govs, scoring 10 of the Govs first 11 points. She also knocked down a jumper to extend the Govs' lead to 11, the largest it grew to at any point, in the fourth quarter. Maggie Knowles also had her third game in the last four with at least seven rebounds. The Govs have had their two best shooting performances the past two road wins and have been lights out from the free-throw line.
Opponent Spotlight
The Gamecocks (9-11, 3-6 OVC) started brightly in conference play, but have lost five of their last six games, including a loss at home to Murray State on Thursday.
The Gamecocks are one of the best defensive teams in the conference, being one of two teams holding opponents under 60 points a game and under 36 percent shooting. However, the Gamecocks rank near the bottom in pretty much every offensive category as well, only scoring a shade over 57 points per game.
Destiney Elliott leads the offense for JSU, averaging almost 11 points per game. Rayven Pearson is close to averaging a double-double for the Gamecocks with 9.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Pearson is also averaging over 10 rebounds per game in conference play and is shooting 47 percent from the field, the best percentage for JSU.
How to Follow Along
The game is going to be broadcast on ESPN+. Scott Chase will also be on the radio call for the Governors Sports Network via ESPN Clarksville. Jacksonville State will also provide live stats and @AustinPeayWBB on Twitter will tweet live updates.
