CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University women's basketball team embarks on a season-ending, two-game road trip that starts when it plays a 5:30 p.m., Ohio Valley Conference contest at SIUE, Thursday, at Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois.

At 11-5 in the OVC, Austin Peay sits in fourth place in the conference standings with just two games left in the regular season. SIUE is 6-10 in conference action and, like the Governors, have secured its spot at the OVC Tournament, March 2-5, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The Govs have dropped back-to-back road games and are 6-5 on the road this season. SIUE has lost its last three home games and is just 4-9 in Edwardsville this season.

Thursday's game at SIUE will be streamed on ESPN+.

Scouting the Cougars

Picked to finish eighth in the OVC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, SIUE currently sits in eighth place in the league with a spot in the OVC Tournament already secured. First-year head coach Samantha Quigley Smith's team is 10-17 overall and 6-10 in conference play. The Cougars lost at Belmont, 88-50, last time out and have lost six of their last seven contests.

SIUE ranks ninth in the NCAA and second in the OVC in free throws attempted (549), it also ranks 13th in the country and third in the conference in free throws made (386). However, SIUE shoots just 70.3 percent from the charity stripe, which ranks sixth in the OVC and 180th in the NCAA.

The Cougars also force 21.1 turnovers per game, which ranks second in the league and 15th in the nation. SIUE has recorded 287 steals this season, which ranks 11th in the NCAA, and is averaging 10.6 steals per game, which ranks 25th in the NCAA -- both rank third in the OVC.

George Washington transfer Gabby Nikitinaite leads SIUE and ranks seventh in the OVC in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. Nikitinaite is the reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week and has won the award a league-leading five times this season. The redshirt senior from Orpington, United Kingdom, also ranks second in the OVC in free-throw percentage (.849), eighth in three-pointers made per game (1.5), 12th in assists (2.8 apg), and 16th in rebounding (5.1 rpg).

Mikayla Kinnard is averaging 12.3 points per game, which ranks 14th in the conference. Kinnard also dishes out 3.1 assists per game, which ranks 10th in the OVC.

Graduate Allie Troeckler ranks 23rd in the OVC in scoring (9.9 ppg), eighth in field-goal percentage (.511), and 10th in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Troeckler does a bit of everything for the Cougars, ranking sixth in the league in steals (2.0 spg), seventh in blocked shots (0.8 bpg), and fourth in offensive rebounding (2.2 orpg).

Series History and Lasting Meeting

The 25th meeting in a series that dates back to 2008, Austin Peay trails in the all-time series, 10-14, but is on a five-game winning streak that dates back to 2019. Austin Peay has won back-to-back games in Edwardsville and is 4-7 all-time in the Vadalabene Center.

Austin Peay forced a season-high 24 turnovers and never trailed as it rolled to a 21-point, 76-55, victory over SIUE on Jan. 17, 2022, at the Winfield Dunn Center in Clarksville.

Yamia Johnson led the Governors with 19 points off the bench, she hit a trio of three-pointers in the contest. Karle Pace added 15 points and five rebounds, with D'Shara Booker chipping in another 12 points and a team-best eight boards. Ella Sawyer recorded team-highs with seven assists and four steals, with Nina De Leon Negron dishing out six assists as well.

Jaida Hampton led the Cougars with 14 points, while Allie Troeckler and Prima Chellis each scored nine points. Ajulu Thatha grabbed a team-high five rebounds and Mikia Keith recorded a team-leading five assists.

The Govs dominated in the paint, where they outscored SIUE, 42-22. Austin Peay also turned its 24 forced turnovers into 26 points, while holding the Cougars to just 12 points off turnovers.

Notably…

• With two games left in the regular season, the OVC Tournament field is set with Austin Peay and SIUE already locked into spots in the postseason.
• Austin Peay is still in play for the No. 2 seed at the OVC Tournament and has also guaranteed it can be no worse than the No. 5 seed in Evansville.
• Austin Peay has secured its third-straight winning season and its fifth-straight without a losing record.
• Austin Peay's 18 wins match the 2019-20 team for the most wins in a season since the 2003-04 team won 23 contests during its OVC Championship season.
• The Governors' 11 OVC wins are their best single-season mark since the 2010-11 team won a dozen conference games.
• Austin Peay is 4-7 all-time against SIUE in Edwardsville and is looking to win its third-straight game at the Vadalabene Center for the first time in series history.
• Austin Peay is shooting 45.7 percent from the floor -- which ranks 14th in the NCAA and second in the OVC. The Govs have not shot over 45 percent from the floor in a season since the 2002-03 team set the single-season program record by shooting 47.4 percent.
• Austin Peay ranks third in the OVC in scoring defense (58.8 ppg), third in field-goal percentage defense (.388), and second in three-point percentage defense (.291) -- the Govs are the only team in the OVC that ranks in the top three in all three categories.
• The Govs are shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range, which ranks 9th in the NCAA and leads the OVC, and are averaging 6.3 made three-pointers per game, which ranks second in the OVC.
• Karle Pace and Yamia Johnson are averaging 15.5 and 14.3 points per game, respectively, and rank third and fifth in the OVC in scoring. They are the only teammates in the top five in the league in scoring.
• Pace is shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range, which ranks 17th in the NCAA and second in the OVC.

Tickets, Please

All-session tickets for the OVC Basketball Championships at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, are on sale for $80 online or by calling the Austin Peay Athletics ticket office at 931-221-PEAY (7329). Single-session tickets are also available for $15, there are two sessions per day at the tournament.

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 wraps up the regular season when it travels to Eastern Illinois for a 1 p.m., Saturday game at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Illinois. The Governors are then back in action at the OVC Women's Basketball Championship, March 2-5, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.