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APSU Govs Basketball outlasts Tennessee Tech, 53-52

APSU Sports Information

APSU Women's BasketballClarksville, TN – Eclipsing the program record from the free throw line, Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team topped Tennessee Tech 53-52 in an aggressive matchup Thursday night at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay Women's Basektball senior Brianne Alexander had 14 points and 4 rebounds in win over Tennessee Tech Thursday at the Dunn Center. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Women’s Basektball senior Brianne Alexander had 14 points and 4 rebounds in win over Tennessee Tech Thursday at the Dunn Center. (APSU Sports Information)

Austin Peay (15-11, 8-7 OVC) came out strong, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor, maneuvering smoothly through the Golden Eagles full court pressure.

Both teams were looking to go inside early, which led to early foul trouble for Brianne Alexander, but the Govs pressure dribble penetration yielded 12 points in the paint for the first period.

APSU Basketball - Brianne AlexanderKelen Kenol scored four early points for the Governors off the bench, and pulled down two defensive rebounds. With less than 15 seconds remaining in the quarter, which stood knotted at 12, Nieja Crawford found space in the lane to get a shot off, giving Austin Peay a two-point advantage.

Keisha Gregory scored four points in a choppy second quarter, going 4-for-4 from the foul line, and pulling down three rebounds, but neither team could find a consistent offensive rhythm, leaving the game tied at 23 going into halftime.

Out of the break, the Governors went back and forth with Tennessee Tech, as the lead changed seven times with four ties.

APSU Basketball - Keisha GregoryThe Govs struggled to take care of the ball, but Gregory and Falon Baker cleaned the glass for the Govs, pulling down four and two rebounds respectively in the third quarter.

Austin Peay quickly erased Tennessee Tech’s four-point margin, going blow for blow with the Golden Eagles down the stretch. Despite having to leave the game briefly after a hard fall, Alexander showed her ability to close games, scoring 10 points in the final period to go along with four rebounds.

With mere seconds remaining in the game, Keisha Gregory iced two free-throw shots, giving the Govs a one-point edge. Golden Eagle guard, Abby Buckner, was able to get a contested shot off before the buzzer, but it clicked off the side of rim. In a low scoring affair, the Governors secured a 53-52 win over Tennessee Tech.

APSU Basketball - Bri WilliamsAlexander led all scorers with 14 points behind her explosive fourth quarter, while pulling down four rebounds. Gregory also scored in double digits with 13 points, just one rebound short of a double double.

Bri Williams was selfless as she ran the offense, dishing out four assists and collecting two steals.

Kelen Kenol added seven points off the bench, with Baker and Brianah Ferby each posting six points.

Baker pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists to pad her mid-week stat line.

Game Notes

The Governors set a program record going 100.0 percent (18-for-18) from the stripe, passing the previous record set in 2014. This is the most free throws made while still shooting 100.0 percent from the line.

Austin Peay ties the most wins in conference season in the Midlick era, moving to 8-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Gonzalez-Varner earned her first career start against the Golden Eagles.

Gregory led the team in rebounds with nine.

Two Govs were in double figures: Alexander (14) and Gregory (13).

Baker and Williams led the team in assists with four each.

The Govs outscored the Golden Eagles 19-14 in the final quarter en route to their eighth conference victory.

David Midlick’s Musings

First Start
“I thought Arielle did well, she rebounded the basketball well and she had good defense with her length. It is going to be a learning curve for her. It is different coming off the bench versus starting, you are in the action right away, but overall very pleased with how she did.”

Fighting the Battle
“In the timeouts, I told the team to take a deep breath and calm down, what we have offensively and defensively is good enough. I thought our defense was solid, and did a really good job holding a strong team to 52 points. We just needed to have poise and composure.”

Looking ahead
“We need effort and energy against JSU, we have to execute. They are a tough team and a physical team similar to Tennessee Tech. They are playing well here at the end of the year and we are going to do our best to defend our home court.”

Next Up for APSU Women’s Basketball

The Governors will be back in the Dunn Center 4:30pm, Saturday, February 17th against Jacksonville State. 

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