Austin Peay (6-2) vs. Binghamton (9-1)
Thursday, December 19th, 2019 | 1:00pm CT
Miami, FL | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
Clarksville, TN – A 1:00pm, Thursday, tilt awaits the Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball in the Sunshine State, as the Governors travel to Miami to compete in the Florida International Holiday Hoops Showdown.
On day two of the tournament, the Governors will play at 11:00pm or 1:00pm against either Florida International or Grambling State, depending on the results from the first day’s action.
FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown
The Governors make their first ever appearance at the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown, December 19th-20th. The four team tournament is hosted by Florida International University at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. On the first day, FIU takes on Grambling State at 11:00pm (CST) and at 1:00pm (CST) the Govs tip-off with Binghamton.
On the second day, the winners of the first two games will meet, while the two teams that fell on day one will also be matched up. On the second day, host-school FIU will play the 1:00pm (CST) game no matter if they win or loss on the first day.
About the Binghamton Bearcats
After finishing fifth in the American East Conference a season ago, the Bearcats of Binghamton were tabbed to finish fourth in the conference this season. On Tuesday morning Binghamton was one of the 12 teams in the country that still remained undefeated. That changed Tuesday night, when the Miami Hurricanes handed the Bearcats their first loss of the season, 79-56, in Coral Gables.
Senior guard Kai Moon was named to the American East Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team, and has lived up to the preseason hype. Moon is averaging 21.5 points per game, which is the 10th best mark in the NCAA this season. One of the best three-point shooters in the country, Moon is knocking down 3.4 triples per contest — which is good for 11th best in the NCAA. Moon has already been named the American East Player of the Week three times this season.
The Bearcats also have a trio of six-footers that sit right behind Moon on the team’s scoring leaders list. At 6-1 Carly Boland is averaging 12.5 points per game, 6-2 Olivia Ramil averages 8.8 points, and 6-3 Kaylee Wasco averages 6.7 points. Boland, Ramil, and Wasco also all average better than three rebounds per contest.
The Binghamton offense is the best the American East has to offer, leading the conference in scoring (71.3 ppg), field-goal percentage (42.9%), three-point percentage (36.6%), and free throw percentage (79.6%).
Series History
This is the second meeting in a series that date back to 2012; the APSU Govs lead the all-time series 1-0, with the one previous meeting being in Clarksville.
The Governors welcomed the Bearcats to the Dunn Center on November 18, 2012. Trailing by 10 points at the half, the Govs went on a 23-12 run to open the second half and take a 44-43 lead with 10:16 remaining. The Governors would not trail the rest of the way, as they knocked off Binghamton, 71-67, to pick up their first win of the 2012-13 season.
Four Governors scored in double-figures against the Bearcats, led by a 20 point performance from senior Lesile Martinez. Kaitlyn Hill added 14 points in the Govs winning effort, while Kristen Stainback and Alexis Hardaway each added 10 points.
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 single season, set by the 1985-86 team.
The Governors lead the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring offense, averaging 74.5 points per game.
The Govs have deployed a full-court press this season that is forcing 24.6 turnovers per game. That ranks fifth in the NCAA and leads the OVC.
Nationally the Governors rank 12th in three-point field goals made per game (9.6).
In the OVC, the Govs lead the conference in three-point field goals made (77), and are second in three- pointers attempted (235) and three-point percentage (32.8%).
Averaging 12.8 steals per game, the Governors rank 14th in the country and lead the OVC. With 102 steals on the season, the APSU Govs are the only OVC team that has eclipsed the century mark in takeaways so far this season.
The Governors have dominated their opponents in bench production this season, with the Govs reserves outscoring their opponents 268-169 on the season. On average the Govs receive 12.4 more points per game off the bench than their opponent.
Austin Peay State University is averaging 14.5 assists per game, which leads the OVC. Ella Sawyer (3.1 apg), Tahanee Bennell (3 apg), and Kasey Kidwell (2.4) all rank in the top 11 of the OVC in assists per game.
Starting the season 6-2, the Govs are off to their second-best eight game start with David Midlick at the helm. The 2017-18 squad started the season 7-1.
The Governors make their first trip to the Sunshine State since the 2016-17 season, when they played at the UCF Thanksgiving Classic in Orlando.
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.
The Governors first game of the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown against Binghamton will not be streamed. Only games played by host-school Florida International will be streamed online, so if the Govs play the Panthers on day two, that game will be available for fans to watch online.
