APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team opens their season 6:00pm, Saturday, November 11th, 2017 against Butler in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Govs are coming off their lone exhibition contest, in which they dominated Kentucky Wesleyan on both ends of the floor.
The Governors put up 80 points in the exhibition matchup allowing the Panthers to score just 47, securing the largest winning margin in exhibition since David Midlick took over in 2015.
Defense has always been the hallmark of Midlick coached teams, and the Governors showed off the defensive schemes in their exhibition game forcing Kentucky Wesleyan into 34 turnovers and scoring 26 points off of those turnovers.
The Governors starters led the way scoring 42 of the 80 points as redshirt junior Falon Baker and junior Keisha Gregory racked up 13 and 11 points respectively. Senior Bri Williams led the Governors with six assists as she ran the Governors offense and sparked a 22-2 run in the first quarter with four steals.
Shelbe Piggie came out strong off the bench in the preseason exhibition scoring 16 points in just 15 minutes of action, while freshman Brianah Ferby had six steals in her 22 minutes of action.
The Governors travel to Hinkle Fieldhouse anxious to get the regular season underway. The Bulldogs will open their season at home with a veteran roster, as head coach Kurt Godlevske brings back nine of the ten athletes from his 2016-17 roster. The matchup will prove to be a good test for a young, but hungry Austin Peay team.
Last Time Against the Bulldogs
Austin Peay has not faced the Butler Bulldogs since 2004 on a neutral court where the Govs fell to Butler 52-69. The Governors have battled Butler three times in their history winning the first-ever matchup in Clarksville in 1997.
APSU Storylines
- Building towards March. After falling to UT Martin in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Midlick returns for his third season at Austin Peay, looking to mold a young squad into OVC contenders.
- Finding Rhythm. Following a convincing win over Kentucky Wesleyan where the Govs young squad gained valuable experience under lights, the Govs look to continue their defensive pressure turning that into offensive rhythm against Butler.
- Shining in Year Two. The Governors bring back a dynamic trio of sophomores in Shelbe Piggie, Nieja Crawford and Arielle Gonzalez-Varner. All three athletes hope to make leaps of improvement in their second year in Midlick’s system.
- No Senioritis, Title Focus: The Govs have two seniors, Bri Williams and Brianne Alexander, and one redshirt junior, Falon Baker, who are not succumbing to senioritis yet. They remain focused and determined in order to have Austin Peay in the best position possible for the OVC Tournament.
Follow APSU Women’s Basketball Online
Be sure to follow all the Austin Peay women’s basketball action at LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. In addition, live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@AustinPeayWBB) and live stats will be available at ButlerStats.com. Saturday’s game can also be streamed for free on the Butler Bulldogs Facebook page.
