APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Senior center Tearra Banks posted 23 points and 11 rebounds in Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team’s 69-59 exhibition win over Kentucky Wesleyan, Monday, in the Dunn Center.
The Governors jumped out to a 14-point lead to begin the contest, with Banks contributing 10 of those points.
APSU went into the locker room up by nine, 35-29 – despite a cold-shooting second period – with the Panthers still keeping it close throughout.
Kentucky Wesleyan trimmed the margin to as low as four with 2:24 remaining in the third, but four free throws by junior Madison Rich and a pair from Banks helped push the lead back to 10.
In the fourth, Falon Baker and junior Keisha Gregory connected on three-pointers, two big shots which helped regain the momentum. The Govs held KWC to 3-of-12 shooting in the final stanza, allowing them to hold on for the victory.
Game Notes
- Kentucky Wesleyan never held a lead in the game, with the Govs winning wire-to-wire.
- Banks finished the night 10-of-16 from the field, and along with her double-double performance, added two assists and a steal in her 23 minutes on the floor.
- Austin Peay’s first attempt of the night was successful – a three-point by Baker from the right wing. She finished the game 3-of-6 from deep (5-of-13 overall) with three assists and two boards.
- Junior Bri Williams started at point guard for the Govs, and played 17 minutes. Freshman Shelbe Piggie and senior April Rivers also played the point, with Piggie recording four points and three steals in her first appearance.
- Rich was perfect at the free throw line, going 6-for-6.
- The Govs shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) in the opening period, but cooled off in the second for a 25 percent clip (4-of-16).
- As a team, APSU had 16 steals, and turned those takeaways into 26 points off turnovers.
David Midlick’s Message
“We’ve got to get better defensively. We have to keep people in front of us without fouling. When we go to help, our rotations have to be better. Offensively, our passing needs improving. We can’t have 20 turnovers when the other team is basically playing man inside the three-point line. We’ve got to shore that up.”
Up Next
Austin Peay begins a four-game homestand to open the regular season, hosting Miami University at 1:00pm, Friday, in the Dunn Center.
