CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University women's basketball heads down I-24 for its second season meeting with Atlantic Sun Conference opponent Lipscomb for a 2 p.m. Saturday game at Allen Arena in Nashville.
Austin Peay (12-13, 5-6 ASUN) enters Saturday's contest after defeating Jacksonville in a 75-69 wire-to-wire victory at home. Cur'Tiera Haywood led the Govs with 15 points, with Anala Nelson, La'Nya Foster, Shamarre Hale, and Abby Cater all scoring double-digits. Foster grabbed a team-high six rebounds, and Anala Nelson picked up four assists.
Lipscomb (14-10, 7-4 ASUN) picked up a 94-82 double-overtime victory against North Florida on Saturday in Nashville. Claira McGowan's 37-point, nine-rebound performance earned her ASUN Player of the Week honors.
The Bisons took the 61-51 victory in the last meeting of the two teams, Jan. 20. Shamarre Hale paced the Govs with 16 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8-of-9 from the field. Molly Heard and Aleah Sorrentino both scored 15 points for the Bisons, with Diana Saleh grabbing nine rebounds.
Austin Peay leads the all-time series against the Bisons, 22-8. The series is 11-4 in Clarksville and 10-3 in Nashville.
Broadcast Information
Radio: WAPX 91.9 FM (Carter Mansfield)
All Austin Peay women's basketball games are aired on WAPX 91.9 FM. Pregame begins 15 minutes before tip and can be heard online at LetsGoPeay.com,
TV: ESPN+ (TBD)
From The Jump
• Head Coach Brittany Young's 49 wins are the most by a head coach in their first three seasons.
• The Govs are first in the ASUN with 3.8 blocks per game and a 44.3 field-goal percentage.
• Shamarre Hale is second in the conference with 108 free throw attempts.
• Hale is ranked third with 28 blocks and 1.17 blocks per game. Her 7.0 rebounds per game rank her sixth.
• Anala Nelson has started in 54 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.
• Nelson ranks third in the conference with 94 assists and 3.8 assists per game.
• Graduate transfer Cur'Tiera Haywood leads the Govs with 31 three-pointers.
The Bisons Scouting Report
Their Head Coach: Lauren Sumski is in her fifth season with the Bisons and is 63-75 throughout those five seasons. She coached for two years at Rhodes College, her alma mater, and compiled a 35-21 record.
2023-24 Record: 14-10, 7-4 ASUN
2022-23 Record: 20-12, 13-5 ASUN
Last Season Result: Lost to #2 Liberty in the ASUN Tournament Semifinals, 84-56.
Notable Returner: Claira McGowan is in her junior season at Lipscomb after averaging 10.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. She averages 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds on the season with a career high of 37 points coming against North Florida, Feb. 10.
Notable Newcomer: Olivia Vandergriff averages 2.4 points in her 15 games played for the Bisons. Her season high of 14 points came against Tennessee Wesleyan, Dec. 22.
Up Next
The Governors are back home for a 6 p.m., Feb. 22 game against Central Arkansas, followed by a 2 p.m., Feb. 24 game against North Alabama.
