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HomeSportsLady Govs ready for preseason test against Cumberland, Monday

Lady Govs ready for preseason test against Cumberland, Monday

APSU Sports Information: APSU Basketball

Austin Peay State University Lady GovsClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team hosts Cumberland in its lone preseason exhibition contest, 5:15pm, Monday at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay State University women's basketball team hosts Cumberland in its lone preseason exhibition contest, Monday. APSU Basketball. (Courtesy: Robert Smith/The Leaf-Chronicle)
Austin Peay State University women's basketball team hosts Cumberland in its lone preseason exhibition contest, Monday. APSU Basketball. (Courtesy: Robert Smith/The Leaf-Chronicle)

Austin Peay returns four starters from last season’s squad that finished fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season race before advancing to the OVC Tournament semifinals.

Those four returning starters also were the Lady Govs four leading scorers from last season, accounting for 38 of the team’s nearly 62 points per game.

Senior guard Whitney Hanley was a preseason All-OVC selection after earning second-team All-OVC honors last season.

Whitney HanleyHanley, junior forward Meghan Bussabarger and sophomore guard Nicole Olszewski are each expected to reprise their starting roles in Monday’s exhibition. Head coach Carrie Daniels also is expected to give a starting nod to sophomore forward Shyra Brown for the exhibition contest.  Senior forward Jasmine Rayner, who started 31 games last season, will come off the bench for the preseason contest.

Meghan BussabargerJoining the four old hands on the court will be a quintet of newcomers, including four freshmen, the largest incoming class of newcomers since 2008. Freshman guard Kristen Stainback has impressed enough in preseason practice to earn a spot in the Lady Govs starting lineup for Monday’s contest.

Nicole OlszewskiHowever, she won’t be the only newcomer expected to see time on the court — junior forward Leslie Martinez, freshman guard Shira Buley and freshman guard Shelby Olszewski are expected to see significant action.

Cumberland will visit the Dunn Center with three regular-season games in hand. The Bulldogs  opened the season with a victory against Fisk before traveling to Georgetown, KY for the Habitat Classic where they lost to both host Georgetown College and Rio Grande.

Shyra BrownSophomore forward Sarah Collins leads the team with 11.7 points per game while junior forward Samantha Harper is averaging a team-best 9.0 rebounds per game.

It is the third consecutive season Austin Peay has hosted Cumberland in an exhibition contest. The Lady Govs have won the two previous meetings, including last season’s 84-37 decision.

Return Of The 10-Second Backcourt Count, For One Game Only

As part of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee’s ongoing examination of the 10-second backcourt rule, Austin Peay’s exhibition contest against Cumberland, Monday, will utilize the rule. The rule will not be in use during the 2011-12 season.

Curtain Opens on 2011-12 Regular Season, Friday

Austin Peay begins the 2011-12 campaign with a 7:00pm, Friday contest against Southern Illinois at the Dunn Center. It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams since the 2006-07 campaign, but the first time the two teams have opened a season against one another. The Lady Govs will open the season at home for the third time in the past four seasons, winning the home opener to start both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Austin Peay began the 2010-11 season at Purdue as part of the Preseason Women’s NIT.

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