CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University women's basketball team never trailed in their first home win of the season with a 66-53 victory over Mercer, Sunday, on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.
A three-pointer by La'Nya Foster and a layup by Sa'Mya Wyatt gave the Govs a 5-0 lead with eight minutes left to play. The game was tied at 7 with four and a half minutes left from Mercer's Talia Harris jumper and a successful trip to the free throw line by Aspen Johnson. A layup from Anovia Sheals, followed by a three-pointer by Abby Cater, gave the Govs their five-point lead again with two and a half minutes left in the quarter. The Bears would get as close as four points with a layup by Chelsey Bautista, but a layup by Wyatt extended the Govs' lead to 16-10 to start the second quarter.
Anala Nelson completed a three-point play as she made a layup and a free throw after being fouled, giving the Govs a 20-12 lead to open the second quarter. A layup by Wyatt gave the Govs their first double-digit lead of the game at 22-12 with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Bears would end the quarter with a jumper with five seconds left, trimming their deficit to nine at 29-20 heading into halftime.
The Governors outscored the Bears by 10 in the third quarter, holding Mercer to nine points compared to the Govs' 19. Mercer's quick layup at the beginning of the third quarter knocked their trail down to seven at 29-22. However, Briana Rivera responded with a three-pointer 10 seconds later, sparking a 9-0 Governor run, allowing them to lead by 16 at 38-22 with five minutes remaining. The Bears ended their five-minute scoring drought with a jumper by Harris, but a layup by Wyatt extended the Govs' lead to 16 again with 3:45 left. Nisea Burrell ended the quarter with a three-pointer at the buzzer, scoring 48-29 in the final quarter.
A three-pointer by Foster a minute and a half into the fourth extended APSU's lead to 20 at 51-31. The Governors went without a field goal until a three-pointer by Nelson with 4 minutes left to play. The Bears cut their trail to 12 at 53-41 during the Governors' field-goal drought, but they could not overcome the Governors' lead as Austin Peay took the 66-53 win for their first victory at F&M Bank Arena this season.
THE DIFFERENCE
Three-pointers. The Governors matched their season high of six three-pointers made on 14 attempts. Their 42.9 percentage from outside the arc was a season-high.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Sa'Mya Wyatt's 15 points paced the Govs for the third consecutive game.
- Jeanine Brandsma grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.
- Avovia Sheals 10 points, Nariyah Simmon's six points, and Anala Nelson's nine were season-highs.
- Briana Rivera led with four steals.
- The Govs' 42.9 three-point percentage was the highest for the team since they shot the same from beyond the arc against Kansas City, exactly a year ago, Nov. 24, 2023
- APSU had ten more bench points than the Bears at 27-17.
UP NEXT
The Governors take off to Boca Raton, Florida for the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, as they take on Manhattan and FAU, respectively.
