Lady Govs rally in second half, but can’t put out Blazers

APSU Women’s Basketball

Birmingham, AL – Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 60-55 loss to UAB, Sunday afternoon, at Bartow Arena.

Austin Peay (4-12) got out of the gate quickly, grabbing a 9-2 lead in the opening four minutes as senior Brook Faulkner scored five points on a jumper and a three-point field goal. The lead did not last long as UAB (8-5) used a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 14-11 lead.

The Lady Govs would stay within one possession for the next five minutes, tying the game at 20-20 with 8:12 remaining on junior Jasmine Rayner’s layup. But Austin Peay would end the half with one of their customary scoring droughts, not scoring again in the period. UAB closed the half with a 15-0 run over that final span, placing APSU in a 35-20 halftime deficit.

Austin Peay finally ended its scoring drought courtesy Rayner’s layup 1:53 into the second half, the first points of a 14-5 run that slashed the UAB lead to five points,  41-36, with 13:14 left.  Faulkner scored eight consecutive points during the run and Rayner ended the run with another layup.

UAB pushed the lead back to double-digits with the game’s next five points, but could not break Austin Peay’s resolve.

The Lady Govs rallied to tie the game, 48-48, with 4:20 left with a 12-2 run that was remarkable for the fact that they did not make a field goal for seven minutes during the run.

Austin Peay made 10 of its 12 free throws during the run, sophomore Kaitlyn Hill making 3-of-4, including the game-tying free-throw.

UAB ended its seven-minute field goal drought on its next possession, a three-point field goal by Amanda Peterson that gave UAB the lead for good, 51-48, with 4:05 remaining.

Her basket sparked a 12-7 game-ending run that saw the Blazers make seven of their 15 free-throw attempts, including a pair of free throws by Peterson that set the final score with 11 seconds remaining.

The Lady Govs committed a season-high tying 27 turnovers, with nine of the 10 Lady Govs who played committing at least one turnover. Those turnovers helped limit Austin Peay to a season-low 39 field-goal attempts of which they made 46.2 percent.

Austin Peay also won the rebounding battle, but only by a narrow 41-40 edge. The Blazers grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 19 points on second-chance opportunities.

Faulkner led the Lady Govs with 17 points and six rebounds after making the start for junior Whitney Hanley, who was suspended for the game. Rayner and freshman Nicole Olszewski each had 12 points.

Peterson led UAB with 21 points, making 6-of-15 from the field including 4-of-13 from three-point range.

Austin Peay returns to Ohio Valley Conference play with a 7:00pm, Thursday contest at UT Martin.