38 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsLady Govs begin Music City Madness with first-round contest against Murray State

Lady Govs begin Music City Madness with first-round contest against Murray State

APSU Women’s Basketball

Austin Peay State University GovernorsNashville, TN – A classic rivalry will open the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Championship when the fifth-seeded Austin Peay women’s basketball team meets eighth-seeded Murray State in a noon, Wednesday contest at Municipal Auditorium.

Along with a change in venue – a move up 5th street from Bridgestone Arena to Municipal Auditorium – the OVC Tournament will feature a change in format. This season’s tournament is a ladder-style format that rewards the top four teams in the regular-season race. Under this format the fifth through eighth seeds play an opening-round contest. The third and fourth seeds receive a single bye into the quarterfinals while the top two seeds receive a double bye into the semifinals.

Lady Govs Basketball
Lady Govs Basketball

Austin Peay entered the regular-season’s final week tied for fourth place with Eastern Illinois. The Lady Govs and Panthers squared off, last Thursday, in a battle for the spot with EIU emerging victorious, 71-66.

Austin Peay wrapped up the regular season with a 71-51 victory against Southeast Missouri – a game APSU won without the services of junior Whitney Hanley, who missed the game due to illness. In her absence, four Lady Govs players scored 10 or more points with sophomore Meghan Bussabarger leading the effort with 14 points.

OVC Basketball ChampionshipMurray State claimed a spot in the tournament on the regular-season’s final game with a 66-56 victory against Eastern Kentucky, Saturday. Sophomore Mariah Robinson led the Racers with 22 points and junior Mallory Schwab chipped in 16 points.

The Lady Govs swept the regular season series against the Racers and have won five straight in the series overall. Austin Peay won a 71-55 contest in Murray, January 8th, freshman Nicole Olszewski leading the effort with 17 points. The Lady Govs completed the sweep with a 69-59 victory in Clarksville, February 5th, with Hanley scoring a game-high 19 points.

Wednesday’s meeting will be just the fourth time the Austin Peay and Murray State women’s basketball teams have met in OVC Tournament play – the school’s respective men’s teams have met 15 times in the tournament – with Austin Peay winning all three previous meetings.

Lady Govs In The OVC Championship

Austin Peay is 9-5 against teams in the tournament field. In its half of the bracket, the Lady Govs swept No. 8 Murray State, were swept by No. 4 Eastern Illinois and split with No. 1 Tennessee Tech.

The Lady Govs are 5-2 all-time in OVC Tournament games played at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium and won the 1996 and 2004 titles there.

Austin Peay is 24-11 all-time in OVC Championship Tournament play.

The Lady Govs have won seven tournament titles, including six of the last 10 tournament championships.

Austin Peay has won the last two tournament titles. In 2009 it was the first No. 5 seed to win the tournament, defeating the fourth, first and second seeds. Last season, the Lady Govs won as the No. 3 seed, downing the sixth, second and first seeds.

Eight players on this season’s roster were Lady Govs during its last two tournament titles: seniors Brooke Faulkner, Salem Richardson, Dalila Thomas and Darcie Warner, juniors Whitney Hanley, Jasmine Rayner and Nikki Talley and redshirt sophomore Neika Smith.

The Lady Govs Celebrate their victory at the OVC Tournament (Austin Peay Sports Information)
The Lady Govs Celebrate their victory at the OVC Tournament (Austin Peay Sports Information)

OVC Women’s Basketball Championship Bracket

OVC Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles