Austin Peay (10-7 | 8-5 OVC) vs. SIU Edwardsville (6-14 | 3-12 OVC)
Thursday, February 18th, 2021 | 4:30pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Dunn Center
Clarksville, TN – With just two weeks left in the regular season, Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball will kick off its final homestand of the season when they host SIU Edwardsville for the annual Breast Cancer Awareness PEAYnk game at 4:30pm, Thursday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
The Governors enter the penultimate week of the regular season in sixth place in the OVC with an 8-5 mark in conference play. APSU has won four-straight games against SIUE, who currently sits in 11th place in the OVC standings with a 3-12 record in league play.
After Thursday’s showdown with the Cougars, Austin Peay State University will host Eastern Illinois for Senior Day in the Dunn Center before kicking off a three-game, season-ending road trip with a 4:30 p.m., Monday tilt at Eastern Kentucky.
Presented by Altra Federal Credit Union, Thursday’s contest against SIUE will be Austin Peay Stae University’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness PEAYnk game. Altra will be providing PEAYnk game shirts that will be passed out before the women’s game and then again before the men’s contest as long as supplies last.
About the SIU Edwardsville Cougars
After a 12th-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season in 2019-20; the OVC’s coaches and SIDs tabbed SIUE to finish 11th in the 2020-21 Preseason Poll, and the league’s media picked the Cougars to finish 12th in their preseason poll. In her ninth season at the helm of SIUE women’s basketball, head coach Paula Buscher’s squad is 6-14 overall and is 3-12 in OVC play.
SIU Edwardsville is one of the conference’s best teams on the glass, they lead the OVC in offensive rebounding (14.6 orpg) and rank second in rebounding (39 rpg). The Cougars are one of the seven teams in the OVC to have a positive rebounding margin (+1.5) this season. Averaging 2.9 blocked shots per game, SIUE also ranks fourth in the league in blocked shots.
Sophomore forward Mikayla Kinnard leads the Cougars in scoring this season, averaging 9.4 points per game. Kinnard also leads SIUE with a team-high 51 assists, which ranks 13th in the conference in assists (2.7 apg).
Allie Troeckler is the Cougars second-leading scorer, the senior is forward is averaging 9.2 points per game this season. Troeckler ranks sixth in the OVC in offensive rebounding (2.7 orpg), 10th in blocked shots (0.7 bpg), and 14th in rebounding (6 rpg). Neither Troeckler or Kinnard played in the previous meeting between Austin Peay and SIUE this season.
Sophomore forward Ajulu Thatha is tied for the SIUE team lead in rebounding with Troeckler, averaging 6 rebounds per game, which is also good for 14th best in the OVC. Thatha is averaging 8.1 points per game this season and ranks 14th in the OVC in offensive rebounding (2.1 orpg).
Series History
This is the 23rd meeting in a series that dates back to 2008; Austin Peay State University trails in the all-time series, 8-14.
Earlier in the season, Austin Peay picked up its fourth-straight win to start OVC play when they knocked off SIUE, 73-54, on January 7th, 2021 at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Governors grabbed a season-high 50 rebounds and posted a +18 rebounding margin — their third-best single-game mark this season — last time out against the Cougars. All 11 APSU Govs who took the court against SIUE scored and recorded a rebound in the contest.
Maggie Knowles led the Govs on the offensive end, going 6-7 from the floor and 5-6 from three-point range en route to a game-high 17 points. Tahanee Bennell knocked down a trio of three-pointers and scored 13 points, while Nina De Leon Negron was the final Governor in double figures with 11 points.
Kasey Kidwell led the Govs on the glass with a career-high 8 rebounds. Kemia Ward pulled down a then career-high 7 rebounds and D’Shara Booker chipped in 6 more boards for the Govs.
Sara Majorosova and Kelsie Williams led SIUE with 9 points each; Majorosova also dished out a team-high 7 assists and Williams grabbed a team-best 5 rebounds in the contest.
APSU Notably
Austin Peay State University’s game scheduled for 11:00am, February 17th at Morehead State was postponed due to inclement weather and will not be rescheduled at this time.
Earlier this season, Austin Peay State University recorded a season-high 50 rebounds against SIUE, January 7th; the Govs +18 rebounding margin against the Cougars is their third-best single-game mark this season.
Brianah Ferby led the Govs with 21 points last time out against Southeast Missouri, February 13th, and has scored in double figures in four-straight games for the first time in her Austin Peay State University career.
Nationally Austin Peay State University ranks 14th in three-pointers made per game (9.2), 21st in three-pointers made (156), and 11th in three-pointers attempted (500) — the Govs also lead the OVC in all three statistics.
The Governors defense ranks second in the OVC in turnovers forced per game (18.2) and third in steals per game (8.8).
Maggie Knowles leads the OVC and ranks 15th in the NCAA in three-pointers made per game (3.1); she also ranks second in the OVC in three-pointers made (43) and sixth in three-point percentage (33.9%).
D’Shara Booker became the first current Governor to record a double-double in their APSU career when she posted a 10-point, 10-rebound performance against Jacksonville State, Jan. 23; 18 days later Tahanee Bennell joined Booker when she recorded a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double against Tennessee State, Feb. 9.
APSU Govs in the time of COVID-19
For the 2020-21 season, Austin Peay State University athletics will allow approximately 35 percent capacity in the Dunn Center for home basketball events. There will be no lower bowl seating for fans during the season. The lower level will be limited to players, coaches, and game-day support staff only.
Seats will be assigned to create a buffer between groups to ensure social distancing is maintained. Student seating will be located in sections AA-BB for both men’s and women’s games. Masks or facial coverings are required to enter the Dunn Center. They must remain in place at all times unless eating or drinking.
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.