CLARKSVILLE – After a 15-day hiatus, Austin Peay State University women's basketball will be back in action when they square off with Tennessee State in a rescheduled noon, Tuesday tilt in the Winfield Dunn Center.

The last time the Governors took the court they picked up their fourth-straight win against Murray State, beating the Racers, 74-71, on Jan. 25. D'Shara Booker led the Govs with 18 points and shot a perfect 9-9 from the floor, matching the program's single-game field goal percentage record (min. 8 made FG).

After Tuesday's contest against the Lady Tigers, the Governors will host UT Martin for a 4:30 p.m., Thursday game and Southeast Missouri for a 1 p.m., Saturday contest which will wrap up a quick three-game home stand.

Tuesday's event against Tennessee State will be unticketed but fans attending in person will be required to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and procedures set in place by the Austin Peay Athletics Department for the Dunn Center.

Scouting the Lady Tigers

After an 11th-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season in 2019-20; the OVC's coaches and SIDs picked Tennessee State to finish 12th in the 2020-21 Preseason Poll, and the league's media tabbed the Lady Tigers to finish 11th in their 2020-21 preseason poll.

First-year head coach Ty Evans spent the past 13 years as an assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference, with a stop at Alabama and most recently as the Associate Head Coach at Auburn (2015-20). In his first season at Tennessee State, Evans will return three starters and seven letterwinners from a squad that posted a 4-24 mark overall and went 2-16 in conference play last season.

Senior guard Taylor Roberts is Tennessee State's top returning scorer (11.9 ppg) and is averaging 13.8 points per game this season. Roberts has only played in eight games this season, but she scored 28 points against Georgia State, Dec. 2, and 20 points against Eastern Illinois, Jan. 23.

Senior forward Jaden Wrightsell lead the Lady Tigers on the glass, she ranks seventh in the league in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and leads the conference in offensive rebounding (3.4 orpg). Wrightsell is also averaging 10.2 points per game, which is good for 22nd-best in the OVC.

After averaging 4.8 points per game in 2019-20, senior guard Andreanna Wrister is averaging 14.1 points per game this season, which is good for eighth in the OVC. Wrister also ranks fourth in the conference in three-pointers made per game (1.9), fifth in three-point percentage (28.3%), and eighth in field-goal percentage (32.3%).

Series History

This is the 66th meeting in a series that dates back to 1980; Austin Peay leads the all-time series, 37-28.

In a meeting earlier this season, Austin Peay made the trip to the Gentry Center in Nashville and picked up its sixth-straight win against Tennessee State, 62-37, on Jan. 4, 2021. The Governors held the Lady Tigers to 37 points in the contest, marking the first time in 19 years and only the fourth time in program history that an Austin Peay team has held their opponent under 40 points in a game.

Maggie Knowles drilled five triples in the contest and led the Governors with 15 points scored exclusively from three-point range. Booker went 5-5 from the floor, scored 11 points, and grabbed 9 rebounds -- narrowly missing out on what would have been her career's first double-double. Booker also led the Govs with a career-high 5 steals in the contest.

Brianah Ferby dished out a team-high 5 assists against the Lady Tigers, she also pulled down a season-high 6 rebounds. Freshman Kemia Ward led the Governors on the defensive end, blocking a career-high 3 shots against Tennessee State.

For Tennessee State, Andreana Wrister led the way with 16 points, she went 7-9 from the free-throw line and knocked down as many free throws as all of the Govs combined. Jaden Wrightsell posted a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Lady Tigers, she grabbed 7 of her rebounds on the offensive end.

Notably…

• After a season-long 15 days between games, Austin Peay will be back in action for the first time since Jan. 25 when they host Tennessee State, Tuesday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
• Austin Peay's postponed game at Morehead State has been rescheduled for a 5 p.m., Feb. 15 contest against the Eagles in Morehead, Kentucky.
• The Governors postponed game against Eastern Kentucky has been rescheduled for a 4:30 p.m., Feb. 22 tilt against the Colonels in Richmond, Kentucky.
• The Govs are looking to pick up their seventh-consecutive win against Tennessee State; extending their longest active winning streak against another Ohio Valley Conference opponent.
• After 15 days off, the Governors are still tied for the OVC lead in three-pointers made (127) and three-pointers made per game (9.1); the Govs are the sole leaders in three-pointer attempted (405) and are the only team in the league with 400+ triples attempted.
• Nationally Austin Peay ranks 16th in three-pointers made per game (9.1).
• Austin Peay is averaging 18.14 turnovers forced per game, which ranks third in the OVC. The Governors defense has forced at least 18 turnovers in nine games this season.
• D'Shara Booker led the Govs with 18 points and was 9-9 from the floor last time out against Murray State. Booker matched the Austin Peay single-game field goal percentage record (min. 8 made FG) by shooting a perfect 100% from the floor against the Racers.
• Maggie Knowles leads the OVC and ranks 12th nationally in three-pointers per game (3.18); she also ranks third in the OVC in three-pointers made (35) and ranks fourth in three-point percentage (35.4%).

Govs in the time of COVID

For the 2020-21 season, Austin Peay State University athletics will allow approximately 35 percent capacity in the Dunn Center for home basketball events. There will be no lower bowl seating for fans during the season. The lower level will be limited to players, coaches, and game-day support staff only. Seats will be assigned to create a buffer between groups to ensure social distancing is maintained. Student seating will be located in sections AA-BB for both men's and women's games. Masks or facial coverings are required to enter the Dunn Center. They must remain in place at all times unless eating or drinking.

Govs Online

Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay's Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all Governor athletics, as well as the Governor women's basketball Twitter page (@AustinPeayWBB). Live stats will be available during the game at PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app. ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM/540 AM) will carry the radio broadcast locally and online.