Austin Peay (5-2) at Alabama A&M (3-4)
Saturday, December 14th, 2019 | 2:00pm CT
Huntsville, AL | T.M. Elmore GYM
Clarksville, TN – After a 13-day hiatus, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball will finally be back in action at 2:00pm, Saturday, in Huntsville, Alabama when they take on the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M at T.M. Elmore Gymnasium.
The Governors enter Saturday’s contest against Alabama A&M after a season-high 13 days off.
The last time the Govs took the floor was on December 1st, against No. 14 Kentucky.
The game against the Bulldogs is the third game of the Governors current five-game road trip, which will conclude next week after the Govs play in the Florida International Classic.
About the Alabama A&M Bulldogs
Coming off a seventh place finish in the Southwest Athletic Conference a season ago, the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M were tabbed to finish in the exact same spot in the 2019-20 SWAC Preseason Poll. Redshirt-sophomore center Elexis Evans was named to the Preseason All-SWAC First Team, and junior guard Nigeria Jones was placed on the Preseason All-SWAC Second Team.
The 3-4 Bulldogs have played all but one game on the road this season. Alabama A&M’s lone home game was a 64-73 loss to North Florida, November 20th. On the road the Bulldogs have been all around the country to start the season, having played in the states of Nebraska, California, Colorado, and Georgia.
Evans, the Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection, has not played since the season-opener against Nebraska, where she only played nine minutes against the Cornhuskers. In Evans absence, sophomore guard Dariauna Lewis has led Alabama A&M, averaging a team-high 16.4 points and 12 rebounds per contest. Juniors DeShawna Harper and Nigeria Jones are averaging 13 and 9.1 points per game as the Bulldogs next two leading scorers.
Series History
This is the sixth meeting in a series that dates back to 1999; the Govs lead the all-time series 5-1 and are 3-0 all-time in Clarksville.
Coming off a seventh place finish in the Southwest Athletic Conference a season ago, the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M were tabbed to finish in the exact same spot in the 2019-20 SWAC Preseason Poll. Redshirt-sophmore center Elexis Evans was named to the Preseason All-SWAC First Team, and junior guard Nigeria Jones was placed on the Preseason All-SWAC Second Team.
Evans, the Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection, has not played since the season-opener against Nebraska, where she only played nine minutes against the Cornhuskers. In Evans absence, sophomore guard Dariauna Lewis has led Alabama A&M, averaging a team-high 16.4 points and 12 rebounds per contest.
Juniors DeShawna Harper and Nigeria Jones are averaging 13 and 9.1 points per game as the Bulldogs next two leading scorers.
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. 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 47th in the NCAA and lead the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring offense (75.6 ppg), averaging 5 more points per game than anybody else in the OVC.
The Govs have implored a full-court press this season that is forcing 25.3 turnovers per game. That ranks fourth in the NCAA and leads the OVC.
Nationally the Governors rank seveth in three-point field goals made per game (10.4).
In the OVC, the Govs lead the conference in three-point field goals made (73) and three-pointers attempted (223). Shooting 32.7 percent from behind the arc, the Govs rank third in the league in three-point percentage.
Averaging 13.1 steals per game, the Governors rank ninth in the nation and lead the OVC. With 92 total steals this season, Arielle Gonzalez-Varner has led the effort with 13 steals, followed by Ella Sawyer with 11
Starting the season 5-2, the Govs are off to their second-best seven game start with David Midlick at the helm. The 2017-18 squad started the season 6-1.
The Governors have lost twice this season – both on the road to Power Five opponents – and have immediately followed both of those loses with road games aganist a SWAC foe.
APSU Govs Online
Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay State University’s Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all APSU 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.
