JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Austin Peay State University women's basketball was unable to overcome a slow start in the first half and fell to Jacksonville State, 60-44, Saturday in the regular-season finale at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Austin Peay (12-10, 10-8) shot just 21.4 percent from the floor in the first quarter; in contrast Jacksonville State (15-8, 12-7) shot 60 percent from the floor and went 7-9 from the free-throw line to build a 16-point advantage in the first ten minutes. All three of the Govs first-quarter field goals came from behind the three-point arc, with Maggie Knowles hitting a pair of triples and Shay-Lee Kirby connecting once to keep the Gamecocks lead at 27-11.
In the second quarter it was Jacksonville State who took advantage of the three-point shot, connecting three times from deep to stretch their lead over an Austin Peay team that shot just 33.3 percent from the floor in the frame. At the end of the first half, the Gamecocks led 39-18.
The Governors started to find their stride it the third quarter when Kirby and Ella Sawyer drilled three-pointers to bookend an 8-0 Austin Peay run that cut the deficit to just 11 points. But the Govs didn't score again for the final five minutes of the third quarter and the Gamecocks extended the lead back to 17 points at the start of the fourth period.
Austin Peay made another push early in the fourth quarter and a deep Nina De Leon Negron three-pointer with 6:07 left to play cut the Jacksonville State lead to just a dozen. But once against it was the Gamecocks who closed the quarter strong and pushed their advantage back to 16-points as they beat the Governors in the final game of the 2020-21 regular season.
The Difference
The first half. Austin Peay outscored Jacksonville State 26-21 in the final 20 minutes of the contest, but Governors shot 21.4 percent in the first half and could not dig themselves out of a 21-point halftime deficit.
Notably
- Austin Peay's two-game winning streak against Jacksonville State came to an end but the Governors still lead the all-time series, 17-13.
- Ella Sawyer grabbed a team-high 4 rebounds and led the Govs on the glass for the third time this season.
- Maggie Knowles scored a team-high 11 points and led the Governors in scoring for the ninth time this season.
- Knowles drilled 3 three-pointers in today's contest, she has now hit at least three triples in 10 games this season.
Up Next
Austin Peay will be back in action on Wednesday, March 3, or Thursday, March 4, at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in Evansville, Indiana. The Governors will be the No. 6 seed in the tournament and play on Thursday if Tennessee Tech beats Murray State later today, and the Govs will be the No. 7 seed and play on Wednesday if the Racers beat the Golden Eagles.
