CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University women's basketball team picked up its fifth victory of the season in a 90-57, wire-to-wire victory against Bryan, Saturday, on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.
Anala Nelson started the Govs off with a layup from the paint, drawing a foul by Bryan's Alissa Mulaski. Nelson made her free throw and Bryan responded with a three-pointer by Sam Russell, tying the game for the first and only time. This began the Governors 13-0 run, which ended with a jumper by Russell, cutting the Govs' deficit to 16-5 lead with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter. Austin Peay scored five of the game's next eight points, giving them a 21-8 lead, which was their largest lead of the quarter. The Lady Lions cut their deficit to as little as 10 for the remainder of the frame, but a layup from the paint by Gabby Zapata Smalls ended the quarter with the Govs leading by 12 at 24-12.
The second quarter was the Governors' highest scoring of the game with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 from three-point range. Russell cut Bryan's deficit back to nine with a three-pointer 33 seconds into the second frame. A layup by La'Nya Foster and three-pointer by Cur'Tiera Haywood gave the Govs a 29-15 advantage. Austin Peay went on a 21-4 run, as a three-point jumper by Sandra Lin gave the Govs their largest lead of the game of 31 points, 50-19, with 1:38 left in the first half. A layup by Russell cut the Lady Lions deficit back to 29, with a jumper by Anala Nelson 20 seconds later giving the Govs a 52-21 lead with 32 seconds remaining. Bryan's Nevaeh Majors made 1-of-2 free throws with 24 seconds remaining, as the Govs ended the first half with a 30-point lead at 52-22.
Bryan attempted to battle back in the third quarter as they scored a game high 25 points and held the Governors to a game-low 15 points. A three-point jumper by Russell followed by a layup and a jumper from Bryan's Kaitlynn Hennessee cut the Lady Lion's deficit back to 23 at 52-29. Shamarre Hale made a jumper from the paint 11 seconds later, forcing a Bryan timeout. The Lady Lions were able to cut their deficit by as little as 20 in the third quarter as they made nine of 14 attempted field-goals compared to the Govs 6 of 20 attempted field-goals. Two made free throws by Hennessee ended the quarter with the Governors leading, 67-47.
The Govs opened the final quarter of the game on an 11-2 run, giving them a 78-49 lead with 6:41 left in the game. Bryan responded with a 5-3 run, making the score 81-55 and cutting their deficit down to as little as 26 in the fourth quarter. Austin Peay ended the quarter on a 9-2 run, as two free throws by Foster with 42 seconds remaining secured the 33-point victory.
The Difference
First-half efficiency. The Governors held the Lady Lions to a 33.3 field-goal percentage in both the first and second quarters and only allowed Bryan 12 points in the first and 10 in the second. Austin Peay had a 66.7 field-goal percentage in the first quarter and a 60.0 three-point percentage in the second quarter.
Inside the Box Score
- Anala Nelson scored a team-high 15 points, her fourth time this season as a leading scorer and sixth in her career.
- Nelson, Tiya Douglas, Shamarre Hale, and La'Nya Foster each scored in double-digits.
- Lin's seven assists match her season high. This was her ninth time as the assist leader this season.
- Lin's three steals also matched her season high.
- Douglas's 12-point performance was her best of the season and included four three-pointers, matching her career-best at Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 4.
- Foster's 13-point performance was her season best as she played a career high 24 minutes. She also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Up Next
Austin Peay hosts its first ever Christmas Tournament as the Governors face New Mexico State at 1:30 p.m., Dec 20, and Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m., Dec. 21.
