Women's Basketball | December 11, 2021

CLARKSVILLE – After a 15-day hiatus, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team will be back in action when it plays the Nashville Sports Council #WomenInSports Game of the Week at 2 p.m., Sunday against Bellarmine in the Winfield Dunn Center.

The Governors are coming off of their longest break of the season and will look to get back in the win column after dropping a pair of games at the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament. Bellarmine is the second future ASUN rival the Govs will play this season, after beating North Alabama, 74-58, on Nov. 16 in the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay will take the court at home for just the third time this season when they take on Bellarmine, the Govs picked up wins against Pikeville and North Alabama in their only other games on Dave Loos Court.

Sunday's game against Bellarmine will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Scouting the Knights

After a seventh-place finish in the regular season during its first year in the ASUN Conference, Bellarmine fell to second-seeded Liberty in the quarterfinals of the 2021 ASUN Tournament. Tabbed to finish 11th in the 2021-22 ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll, Bellarmine is off to a 1-6 start this season under 10th-year head coach Chancellor Dugan.

Playing in just its second season at the Division I level, Bellarmine's Jaela Johnson ranks 15th in the ASUN and is averaging a team-high 11.6 points per game. The 5-5 junior guard also leads the Knights with 18 assists and 16 made three-pointers, while shooting 36 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range.

Averaging 9.7 points per game off the bench, senior Presley Brown is Bellarmine's second-leading scorer. Redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Keelin adds 8.1 points per game for the Knights, while senior Sheniqua Coatney leads Bellarmine and ranks 12th in the ASUN in rebounding (6.2 rpg) this season.

Shooting 34.7 percent from the three-point range, Bellarmine ranks second in the ASUN in three-point percentage this season. While the Knights have made just 52 triples -- the sixth-most in the ASUN this season -- they are one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams in the league when they do shoot the three.

Bellarmine's lone win this season came when it knocked off Ohio Valley Conference opponent Morehead State, 69-61, on Nov. 27. The Knights shot 46.3 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range to beat the Eagles, with senior Kathleen Scott scoring a team-high 16 points in the contest.

Series History and Lasting Meeting

Sunday will be Austin Peay's first-ever meeting against Bellarmine. The series will be renewed on an annual basis next season when the Govs join the Knights in the ASUN Conference.

Notably…

• After a 15-day hiatus, Austin Peay will be back in action when it hosts Bellarmine in the Nashville Sports Council #WomenInSports Game of the Week at the Winfield Dunn Center.
• Austin Peay is playing its fourth of six games against first-time opponents this season when it takes on Bellarmine. The Govs are 1-2 against first-time foes this season and Bellarmine is their third of five-straight games against first-time opponents.
• The Governors dropped their last two contests at the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament, but are looking to stay unbeaten on Dave Loos Court this season when they square off against the Knights.
• Through six games, Austin Peay is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor as a team. The Govs have not shot over 45 percent from the floor in a season since the 2002-03 team set the program record by shooting 47.4 percent.
• The Governors bench is averaging 27.8 points per game and scored a season-high 40 points against Davidson. The Austin Peay reserves are outscoring their opponent's bench by an average of 15.6 points per game this season.
• The Govs have scored 45-plus points in the paint this season and are averaging 35.3 points in the paint per game, where they are outscoring their opponents by 4.3 points per game this season.
• Austin Peay knocked down a season-high 10 three-pointers at Butler. The Govs 10 triples are the second-best single-game mark in the OVC this season.
• Yamia Johnson and Karle Pace are averaging 15.8 and 14.8 points per game, respectively, the duo ranks fourth and fifth in the OVC in scoring this season.
• Nina De Leon Negron is one of two OVC players that ranks in the top five in the league in both assists (3.8 apg) and steals (2.5 spg) this season.

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 head back on the road to play a 4 p.m. (CT), Thursday game at UNC Asheville and a 2 p.m. (CT), Saturday game at Gardner-Webb. The Governors then play their final game before Christmas and Ohio Valley Conference play when they host UT Southern for a 2 p.m., Dec. 21 contest in the Dunn Center.