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APSU Women’s Basketball hosts Evansville, Thursday

APSU Women's BasketballClarksville, TN – After back-to-back road games, Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball will return to the Dunn Center to welcome Evansville for a 7:00pm, Thursday, November 21st tip-off against the Purple Aces, which will mark the Governors final home game until December 29th.

Austin Peay State University Women's Basketball plays Evansville at the Dunn Center, Thursday. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay State University Women’s Basketball plays Evansville at the Dunn Center, Thursday. (APSU Sports Information)

After hosting Evansville, Thursday, the Governors will hit the road for their next six games, with the trip concluding at the Florida International Classic, December 19th-20th. Thursday against Evansville will be fans last chance to catch the Governors in the Dunn Center before Christmas.

About the Evansville Purple Aces

 After finishing last in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2018-19, Evansville was tabbed to finish there again in the MVC preseason poll. The Purple Aces return five letterwinners from last season, including two starters. Evansville lost 60 percent of its scoring from the 2018-19 season, including their top three leading scorers.

This season freshman guard/forward Abby Feit leads the Purple Aces offense; averaging 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor to start her collegiate career. Jada Poland is averaging 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the Purple Aces, and the North Texas transfer is shooting 57.7 percent from the floor since making the move to Evansville.

The top-returner for Evansville is sophomore guard Anna Newman. Newman is averaging 7.8 points per contest, but ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 20 assists on the season.

Series History

This is the 21st meeting in a series that dates back to 1982; the Govs lead the all-time series 11-9 and are 8-1 in games played in Clarksville. 

Last season the Governors made the trip to the Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville, Indiana, where they would fall to Evansville, 56-52 (Dec. 18, 2018). It was a cold shooting day for all of the Governors except Myah Leflore, who poured in a career-high 15 points off the bench.

LefLore shot 64 percent (7-of-11) from the floor, and connected once from three point range. The then-sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee, also pulled down three rebounds and blocked a shot, but it wasn’t enough to power the Governors to a win.

The Governors shot 33% as a team last year against the Purple Aces. Keisha Gregory overcame a 23 percent shooting night to be the Govs second-leading scorer with 12 points. Nieja Crawford did it all for the Govs in this one, with nine points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, leading the team in the latter two categories.

What to watch for

For the second consecutive season, and fifth time in program history, the Governors have scored 100-plus points multiple times in a season. Having hit the century mark twice this season already, if the Govs can score in triple-digits again, they will match the program record of three 100-point games in a single season set by the 1985-86 team.

The Governors rank 13th in the NCAA and lead the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring offense (86.8 ppg), averaging 12.8 more points per game than anybody else in the OVC.

Nationally the Governors rank fifth in three-pointers per game (11.3) and sixth in total three-pointers made (45). The Govs have also attempted the 10th most three-point shots (129) in the NCAA this season.

In the OVC, the Governors lead the conference in three-point field goals made, three-point percentage (34.9%), and three-pointers attempted

Tahanee Bennell, Maggie Knowles, and Shay-Lee Kirby are all tied for fourth in the OVC with 10 made three-pointers this season.

The Governors posted a season-high 50 points in the paint against Mississippi Valley State.

The Governor bench scored 40 points at Mississippi Valley State, it is the third time this season the bench has scored 40-plus points in a game; the reserves are now averaging 37.8 points per contest.

Tickets

Governors Courtside Seating returns for the 2019-20 season. Fans can contact the APSU Athletics Ticket Office for courtside seating availability and pricing.

The VIPeay Hoops Experience, available to Black Tie Monocle Society members and above, also returns for 2019-20 after a successful debut last season.

For more information on joining the Governors in the Dunn Center this winter, to secure season tickets or to become involved with the Monocle Society, call 931.221.PEAY.

APSU Govs Online

Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay’s Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all Governor Athletics, as well as the Governor women’s basketball Twitter page (@AustinPeayWBB).

Live stats will be available during the game at PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app.

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