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HomeSportsAPSU Women's Basketball kicks off 2020-21 season North Alabama, Wednesday

APSU Women’s Basketball kicks off 2020-21 season North Alabama, Wednesday

Austin Peay at North Alabama

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020 | 12:00pm CT
Florence, AL | Flowers Hall

APSU Women's BasketballClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball is set to finally tip of the 2020-21 season when they take on North Alabama in a 12:00pm, Wednesday, November 25th, 2020 tilt at Flowers Hall in Florence, Alabama.

Austin Peay State University Women's Basketball tips off season on the road against North Alabama, Wednesday. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay State University Women’s Basketball tips off season on the road against North Alabama, Wednesday. (APSU Sports Information)

After a record-breaking rout of Kentucky Wesleyan, 103-70, in the Dunn Center for last season’s opener, Austin Peay State University will kick off the season on the road for the third time in four years.

Following Wednesday’s matinee matchup with North Alabama; the APSU Govs will host Trevecaa for a 1:00pm, Saturday, November 28th home opener, before hitting the road to take on Mississippi Valley State, December 2nd, and Florida State, December 6th.

The Governors will then wrap up the non-conference slate with a 6:00pm, December 15th contest against Chattanooga in the Dunn Center.

With the start of the 2020-21 college basketball season slated for November 25th, this will be the latest date on which APSU has tipped off a women’s basketball season since November 25th, 1995, when the Governors knocked off Bethel, 89-61, in the Dunn Center.

About the North Alabama the Lions

After a second-place finish in the ASUN Conference during the regular season, North Alabama’s 2019-20 season ended when they fell to Liberty in the semifinals of an ASUN Tournament that was never finished. This season the Lions were picked to finish sixth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll, despite graduating all five starters and 68 percent of their scoring output from a season ago.

Last season a quintet of seniors accounted for 145 of the 150 (96.7 percent) starts made by North Alabama players. With all five of those seniors gone, the Lions will turn to 2019-20 ASUN Newcomer of the Year, Olivia Noah, who averaged 9.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while playing 18.5 minutes per contest last season. The unanimous 2020-21 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team selection, Noah shot 42.1 percent from three-point range last season, which was good for fourth-best in the league.

Sophomore Jaida Bond is North Alabama’s top returning rebounder, having averaged 3.3 rebounds per game last season. Bond also shot 49.7 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from downtown in her freshman season.

With six newcomers on the roster, Savannah Holt and Jailia Roberts are the only two other returners from a North Alabama squad that posted a 21-9 record last season. Roberts averaged 3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, while Holt averaged less than a point and rebound per contest.

 

 

North Alabama’s six newcomers are made up of five freshman and junior Hina Suzuki, who transferred from Kwansei University in Nishinomiya, Japan. Suzuki averaged 14.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.3 steals per game, while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor in her two years at Kwansei University.

Series History

Austin Peay State University and North Alabama played a home-and-home series during the 1983 and 1984 seasons. In 1983, the Governors made the trip to Flowers Hall in Florence, Alabama, for a Jan. 13 contest that saw the Govs fall to North Alabama, 76-49.

During the 1984 season, North Alabama visited the Winfield Dunn Center and knocked off coach Pam Davidson’s Governors, 71-52.

What To Watch For…

Austin Peay State University posted an 18-win regular season in 2019-20, which was the program’s best win total since the 2002-03 squad won 20 contests.

Last season the APSU Govs made their sixth-straight trip to the OVC Women’s Basketball Championship, that is the second-longest streak of consecutive postseason appearances in program history – behind only a 10-year streak from 1993-2004.

 

 

Head coach David Midlick has guided the Governors to the OVC Tournament in each of his five years at Austin Peay State University; that is the second-longest streak of consecutive tournament appearances by a coach in program history, trailing only Susie Gardner, who led Austin Peay State University to the postseason in seven-consecutive seasons from 1997-2003.

Last season the APSU Govs posted a 5-1 record in the month of November. In David Midlick‘s first five seasons at Austin Peay State University, the Govs are 21-15 (.583%) in the 11th month of the year.

In last season’s opener, the Governors made a team single-game record 18 three pointers against Kentucky Wesleyan (11/5/19). This mark was also tied for the third-best single-game team three-point total in the NCAA in 2019-20.

Opening the season on the road for the third time in the last four seasons, the APSU Govs have not won a season opener on the road since November 28th, 1987, when they knocked off Southern Indiana, 77-72.

Connecting on 267 three pointers last season, the Governors broke the program’s team single-season three-point record for the second-straight season.

This season the APSU Govs return players who accounted for 92.8 percent (248) of last season’s record-breaking 267 three-point field goals made.

Nationally, Austin Peay State University ranked 5th in three-point field goals attempted (845), 11th in three-point field goals per game (8.9), and 14th in three-point field goals made (267) last season.

Last season the Governors ranked 10th in the NCAA and lead the OVC, averaging 21.3 turnovers forced per game.

Austin Peay State University forced an OVC-best 636 turnovers a year ago, and were the only team in the league that forced more than 585 turnovers. The Govs also led the conference with a plus 5.53 turnover margin – no other team in the OVC had a positive turnover margin greater than 3.32 in 2019-20.

Maggie Knowles is currently the Austin Peay State University career three-point percentage leader, having shot 42.3 percent from downtown in her first two seasons.

Last season Brandi Ferby led the Governors with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, dishing out 62 assists while only turning the ball over 30 times. In the first three years of her APSU career, Ferby has dished out 154 assists and only turned the ball over 76 times – good for a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.03.

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 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, Ohio Valley Conference games, and select non-conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app.

 

Up Next for APSU Women’s Basketball

After taking a few days for Thanksgiving, the APSU Governors will host Trevecca for a 1:00pm, Saturday, home opener at the Winfield Dunn Center. Saturday’s home opener will not be ticketed and will be free of charge to the public. This allows fans to visit the facility and speak with ticket office staff, who can assist in finding available seating locations for the 2020-2021 season.

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