CLARKSVILLE – Looking for its third-straight win and its first road win of the season, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team hits the road for an 11 a.m. (CT), Saturday showdown with Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

First-year head coach Brittany Young's Governors dropped the season opener at Evansville, but have responded with back-to-back wins against Pikeville and North Alabama in the Winfield Dunn Center. Butler is still looking for its first win this season, the Bulldogs have dropped three-straight contests in Hinkle Fieldhouse to open the season.

Saturday's matinee contest will be broadcast by the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) on FloHoops.com. BEDN subscriptions on FloHoops start at $7.99 a month.

Scouting the Bulldogs

After a tenth-place finish in the BIG EAST during the 2020-21 regular season and a first-round loss to No. 7 Providence in the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament, Butler was tabbed to finish at the bottom of the league's preseason coaches' poll this season.

In his eighth season at the helm of Butler women's basketball, head coach Kurt Godlevske had to replace a trio of starters this season. Genesis Parker -- Butler's second-leading scorer from last season -- returns after averaging 12.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season, while shooting 36.5 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from three-point range.

After spending her freshman season at Eastern Kentucky, Kendall Wingler has started in three-straight games for the Bulldogs in her second collegiate season. Wingler scored 17 points last time out against Ball State, she averaged 8.0 points per game in two meetings with the Govs last season.

This season, Alex Richard and Zoe Jackson are averaging 13.0 and 10 points per game, respectively, for Butler. Tenley Dowell leads the Bulldogs with 7.0 rebounds per game, while Wingler and Jackson have each dished out a team-high seven assists this season.

Series History and Lasting Meeting

This is the fifth meeting in a series that dates back to 1997; Austin Peay trails the all-time series, 1-3. Austin Peay's lone win in the series came in its first-ever meeting with Butler, when the Govs beat the Bulldogs, 71-70, on Jan. 20, 1997 at the Winfield Dunn Center in Clarksville. All three of Butler's wins in the series have come at Hinkle Fieldhouse or at a neutral site

Junior guard Michaela Campbell led Austin Peay with 11 points in the season opener, but the Governors fell to Butler, 75-54, on Nov. 11, 2017 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Brianne Alexander and Jemiah Harrison added nine and eight points, respectively. Freshman Brianah Ferby led the Govs with four rebounds in her collegiate debut, while redshirt junior Falon Baker dished out a team-best three assists.

Butler shot 49 percent from the floor and were led by a 30-point performance from Whitney Jennings. Jennings knocked down all four of the Bulldogs three-pointers and dished out a team-high four assists, while also grabbing three rebounds. Tori Schickel and Michelle Weaver added 14 and 11 points, respectively, for Butler, with Schickel pulling down a team-best six rebounds.

Notably…

• Brittany Young, the 12th head women's basketball coach in Austin Peay history, will look to pick up her first career road win when the Govs take on Butler, Saturday.
• The Governors have scored 60 and 48 points in the paint in their last two outings. Austin Peay is averaging 43.3 points per game in the paint this season, where they are outscoring their opponents by an average of 17.3 points per game.
• The Austin Peay defense is averaging 3.3 blocked shots per game this season, which ranks second in the OVC.
• Karle Pace ranked in the OVC's top ten in scoring each of the past three seasons at Eastern Illinois, she has led the Governors in scoring all three games this season and her 16. 3 points per game ranks fourth in the conference.
• Preseason All-OVC selection Yamia Johnson ranked fourth in the league in scoring at Jacksonville State last season. This season, she has scored in double-figures in all three games and ranks seventh in the league in scoring (14.7 ppg).
• Johnson is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, which leads the Governors and ranks ninth in the OVC.
• Freshman Lyric Cole is averaging 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She ranks seventh in the OVC in field-goal percentage (.588).
• Sophomore Nina De Leon Negron has already posted career highs in assists (6 vs. Pikeville) and steals (5 vs. North Alabama) this season. She is tied for the OVC lead in steals (4.0 per game).
• Pace and De Leon Negron are both averaging 3.7 assists per game, they are tied for fourth in the OVC in assists this season. Ella Sawyer has also dished out three assists in back-to-back games after not recording a helper in the season opener at Evansville.

Tickets, Please

Season and single-game tickets are on sale for the 2021-22 basketball season. Fans can purchase or renew their season tickets online at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets or by calling the Austin Peay Ticket Office at 931-221-PEAY (7329). More information on season and single-game tickets can also be found online.

Govs Online

For up-to-date news and information on Austin Peay Athletics, check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow along on Facebook. To keep up with the Governors women's basketball team, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB). Live stats will be available during all home games and select road games at PeayStats.com. In addition, all Austin Peay home games, OVC games, and select road games will be broadcast on ESPN+ this season, visit the women's basketball schedule at LetsGoPeay.com for a complete broadcast schedule.

Up Next

Austin Peay will wrap up a three-game road trip at the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament in Boca Raton, Florida, where it will play a 1:30 p.m., Nov. 26 contest against Davidson and an 11 a.m., Nov. 27 game against Tulsa. The Governors then return to the Dunn Center to host a 2 p.m., Dec. 12 game against Bellarmine.