Women's Basketball | December 28, 2021
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – For the first time since the Ohio Valley Conference began handing out three weekly awards during the 1985-86 season, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team has swept the awards with Yamia Johnson being named the Player of the Week, Liz Gibbs being named the Newcomer of the Week, and Lyric Cole being named the Freshman of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Johnson, who earned her second-consecutive OVC Player of the Week honors, led the Governors with 17 points and a season-high four three-pointers in a 74-35 win against UT Southern, Dec. 21. Johnson also recorded eight rebounds, a steal, and an assist in the Govs lone game last week.
A Lexington, South Carolina native, Johnson is averaging 16.4 points per game, which ranks third in the OVC this season. Johnson has also scored in double-figures in all ten games she has played at Austin Peay, making her the first Governor to score in double-figures in ten-straight games since 2019, when Keisha Gregory did it in 11-consecutive games, Jan. 31 to March 7.
Gibbs, a Gulf Coast State transfer, earned her first OVC Newcomer of the Week honors after matching her season-high with nine points, while going 4-of-5 (.800) from the floor, in Austin Peay's lone game against UT Southern. The junior guard from Atlanta also matched her career-highs with six rebounds and two steals, while matching her season-high with three assists in the contest.
Cole picked up her second OVC Freshman of the Week honors after posting her second-career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Cole shot 7-of-12 (.583) from the floor against UT Southern while also recording an assist and a steal.
The Memphis native ranks second in the OVC in field-goal percentage (.638) and sixth in rebounding (6.8 rpg) this season. Cole has already posted a pair of double-doubles in her first ten collegiate games, which makes her the first Governor with multiple double-doubles in a single season since Arielle Gonzalez-Varner recorded five during the 2019-20 season.
Johnson, Gibbs, and Cole are the first trio of Austin Peay players to claim the OVC Player, Newcomer, and Freshman of the Week awards in the same week since the league began handing out all three honors during the 1985-86 season. This week also marks the first time that Austin Peay players have claimed multiple OVC weekly awards in a single week since Gonzalez-Varner and Shay-Lee Kirby were named Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, on Dec. 30, 2019.
Johnson, who shared her OVC Player of the Week award with SIUE's Prima Chellis, is the first Gov to win multiple Player of the Week honors in the same season since Tearra Banks did it three times during the 2016-17 season. Johnson is the first to win the award in back-to-back weeks since 2004, when Gerlonda Hardin was named OVC Player of the Week on Feb. 2 and Feb. 9.
Gibbs is the first Governor to earn the OVC Newcomer of the Week since Dec. 23, 2019, when Tahanee Bennell took home the award. Finally, Cole is the first Gov to be named Freshman of the Week twice in the same season since Kirby picked up the award two times (Nov. 12 and Dec. 30) during the 2019-20 season
Austin Peay is back in action at 5 p.m., Thursday when it kicks off OVC play against UT Martin in the Winfield Dunn Center. The Governors then hit the road for a 2 p.m., Saturday game against Southeast Missouri at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. To keep up with the Governors women's basketball team, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB).
