CLARKSVILLE – Karle Pace, Yamia Johnson, and Nina De Leon Negron all scored in double-figures for the Austin Peay State University women's basketball team, which shot an efficient 56.6 percent from the floor and used 46 points in the paint to take down North Alabama, 74-58, Tuesday in the Winfield Dunn Center. 

Austin Peay (2-1) was the first team on the scoreboard for the first time this season, with De Leon Negron driving for a layup on the opening possession of the contest. North Alabama (1-2) matched the Govs on their first possession and a back-and-forth start to the game saw the score tied at 11-11 with 4:35 left in the first quarter.

After four-straight points gave the Lions a four-point lead with 1:56 left in the opening quarter, the Govs closed the quarter with a Pace triple and a Johnson jumper in the lane and led, 16-15, after ten minutes of basketball. 

North Alabama took its final lead of the night on its first possession of the second quarter, with Alexis Callins scoring two of her game-high 22 points to put the Lions ahead, 17-16. Back-to-back Johnson jumpers gave the Governors a 20-17, but another bucket from Callins cut the Lions deficit back to one before Shay-Lee Kirby went on a 5-0 run by herself with a three-pointer and a steal that lead to a fast-break layup.

After the Kirby run forced a North Alabama timeout, the Lions made a single free throw before Austin Peay went on a 9-0, with Liz Gibbs scoring the final five points of the run to give the Govs a 14-point advantage with 1:12 left in the half. 

Callins knocked down a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to cut into the Lions' deficit, but the Governors lead, 34-23, at the break. 

After North Alabama opened the second half on an 11-4 run that cut the Austin Peay lead to just four points, the Govs responded with a 14-2 run and built a 16-point advantage with 42 seconds left in the quarter. The Governors shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the third quarter, with Pace scoring seven of her team-high 17 points in the penultimate quarter.

The Lions did the majority of their damage in the third quarter at the charity stripe, where they knocked down 10-of-12 free-throw attempts to keep the deficit at just 15 points entering the final quarter.

After Kirby and Kasey Kidwell buckets to open the fourth quarter gave the Governors a 19-point advantage, North Alabama responded with a 7-0 run and trailed, 58-46, with 8:29 left in the game.

With its lead at a dozen points, Austin Peay went on another 9-0 run, with Johnson, Pace, and De Leon Negron doing all the damage to build a 21-point lead with 5:45 left to play. Lyric Cole gave the Governors their biggest lead of the day with 2:32 left to play, connecting on a layup to put Austin Peay ahead, 74-49.

However, the Cole bucket was the final points of the night for the Govs, as North Alabama closed on a 9-0 run, but it was too little, too late and Austin Peay held on to win its second-straight game in the Dunn Center. 

The Difference 

Points in the paint (again). Austin Peay more than doubled up North Alabama in the paint, where it outscored the Lions, 46-22. 

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Notably 

• Austin Peay has scored 106 points in the paint and is shooting 56 percent from the floor in its last two contests. 
• The Govs shot 56.6 percent from the floor, that is their best single-game performance since they shot 56.7 percent against Kentucky Wesleyan (11/5/19).
• The Governors bench scored 27 points and held the North Alabama reserves to just four points. 
• Karle Pace scored 17 points and led the Governors in scoring for the third-straight game to start her Austin Peay career.
• Yamia Johnson went 7-of-8 from the floor and scored 14 points, she has been in double-figures in all three games this season.
• Nina De Leon Negron scored a season-high 10 points, her best single-game performance since she scored 11 points at Eastern Illinois (1/9/21).
• De Leon Negron led the Govs with four assists, it is the second-straight contest she has led the way in helpers. 
• De Leon Negron also led Austin Peay with a career-high five steals, she has recorded at least three steals in each game this season.  
• Pace matched her career-high with two blocked shots for the second-straight game.
• Johnson led the Governors with five rebounds, it is the second time she has led the team on the boards this season. 

Quotably, Coach Young 

Opening thoughts… "You need to appreciate and enjoy every time you do get a win because it's not promised. Of course, as a coach, there are tons of things that I can look at that we need to continue to improve on, but the heart and the fight, I saw that from our team tonight and I really liked that. Our message before the game was about identity and that our team as we continue to evolve, we have to determine what that is. When people see us, when we walk into the gym, there is something that people have to know about us and we earn that reputation by what we do on the floor night in and night out." 

On her team's balanced attack… "On any given night it can really be anyone. Just the way we play, it's a very unselfish style of basketball, we want the ball to find the best shot on the floor. Tonight, was a game where we were playing against a team with mostly guards on the perimeter, so you see our post players like D'Shara Booker or Lyric Cole possibly not playing as many minutes as they usually do and you see our guards with elevated minutes… But on any given night, we talk about this all the time, it's next woman up. You have got to be ready. Because it may be your night to lead us in a certain area, and I like that, I think it helps keep everyone on their toes."

Up Next 

Austin Peay will start a season-long three-game road trip when it plays an 11 a.m., Saturday contest against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Governors then travel to Boca Raton, Florida for the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament, where they will play a 1:30 p.m. (CT), Nov. 26 game against Davidson and an 11 a.m. (CT), Nov. 27 game against Tulsa. For news and updates on everything Governors women's basketball, follow along on Twitter or Instagram (@GovsWBB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.