CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.- Austin Peay State University's women's basketball team extends their away game stretch as they travel to play Butler in a 4:00 p.m. (CT), Saturday game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Austin Peay (1-2) is coming off of a 68-63 win against Kentucky, which was its first win against a Southeastern Conference opponent since Dec. 16, 1997, when they defeated Georgia, 77-61, in Athens. This was also the first Power Five win under head coach Brittany Young. Anala Nelson had a career-high 21 points and Cur'Tiera Haywood grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Butler (2-1) comes into this game after defeating Detroit Mercy, 68-61, on Nov. 12. Ari Wiggins scored a team-high 15 points and Caroline Strande grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams, with Butler leading the all-time series, 3-2. A win from the Governors would tie the all-time series, 3-3. Austin Peay won the last matchup it played against Butler, 68-65, on Nov. 20, 2021 in Indianapolis.
Up Next
The Governors travel to play in the Viking Invitational at Cleveland State Nov. 22, 24, and 25, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Broadcast Information
Radio: All Austin Peay women's basketball games are aired on WAPX 91.9 FM. Pregame begins 15 minutes before tip.
WAPX 91.9 FM (Cater Mansfield– PxP)
TV: This game will be available for purchase at flohoops.com
FloSports (Jon Cupo– PxP)
From The Jump
- Head coach Brittany Young returns for her third season in Clarksville after leading the Governors to a 17-12 record in 2022-23. Young needs just nine victories for the most wins by an APSU head coach over their first three seasons.
- The Governors have 19 winning seasons in program history, including four straight and two under Young in as many seasons.
- Returning for the Govs is Shamarre Hale, who was the 2023 ASUN Sixth Player of the Year and received Second Team All-ASUN and ASUN All-Tournament honors. She was also a unanimous Preseason All-ASUN Team selection.
- Hale is ranked first in the ASUN and 49th nationally in free-throw percentage with 92.9, and ranked second in the ASUN in free-throws with 13.
- Also returning is Anala Nelson, who was an ASUN All-Freshman honoree, Tiya Douglas, Briah Hampton, and Gabby Zapata Smalls
- Nelson has started in 32 consecutive games and started every game she has played in college. She also was the first player in program history to receive ASUN All-Freshman Team honors and the first to be named to a conference all-freshman team since 2003 when the Govs were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
- In the win against Kentucky, Nelson scored a career-high 21 points which paced the Governors to outscore the Wildcats.
- Douglas is ranked third in the ASUN in minutes per game with 34.18. She led the team last season with a total of 37 three-pointers. She made a season-high four three-pointers twice during Atlantic Sun Conference play last season, coming against Kennesaw State, Jan. 5, and Eastern Kentucky, Feb. 4.
- Austin Peay is ranked first in the Atlantic Sun Conference in blocks per game with 4.0.
- Out of the eight newcomers, seven came from Division I programs. Those transfers include, Kaili Chamberlin, Sandra Lin, Alyssa Hargrove, JaNiah Newell, Cur'Tiera Haywood, and Jeanine Brandsma. La'Nya Foster from Riverdale, Georgia, is the only freshman.
- Lin is ranked fifth in the ASUN 4.0 assists per game.
- Haywood is ranked fourth in the ASUN in blocks (4), and in blocks per game (1.33). Foster joins her on the blocks per game rankings, as she is sixth with 1.00 blocks per game.
- Austin Peay is ranked first in the Atlantic Sun Conference in blocks per game with 5.0.
- The Govs were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference's coaches poll with 107 points. FGCU, which was last year's regular season and tournament champions, was picked to repeat by the league's coaches with 142 points, followed by Lipscomb (128 points) and Eastern Kentucky (121 points).
Scouting The Bulldogs
2023-24 Record: 1-1
2022-23 Record: 11-19 (6-14 BIG EAST)
2022-23 Season Result: Lost in the first round of the BIG EAST tournament to Georgetown, 46-53.
Their Season So Far: The Bulldogs lost to Iowa State in their season opener, 55-82, in Ames. They followed that up with a 68-61 win against Detroit Mercy in their home opener.
Returning/Lost: 8/7
Notable Returner: Sydney Jaynes returns to Butler for her third season. She started in all 30 games last season as she led the Bulldogs in made field goals (121), field-goal percentage (52.6), total rebounds (123), and blocked shots (26). Her field-goal percentage was also ranked third in the BIG EAST.
Notable Newcomer: Rachel Kent comes to Butler from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis where she started in every game in her four years there. Last season, she was third on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game and she averaged 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She shot 79.5 percent from the charity stripe and 44.0 percent from the field. Kent was named to the Horizon League All-League First Team in her last season with the conference.
Series History
All-Time: 2-3
In Clarksville: 1-0
In Indianapolis: 1-2
Neutral Sites: 0-1
Last meeting: Austin Peay defeated Butler, 68-65, on Nov. 20, 2021, in Indianapolis.
Follow The Govs On Social
For news and updates throughout the season, follow the women's basketball team on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.