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HomeSportsAustin Peay State University Women's Basketball hosts exhibition game against Freed-Hardeman, Thursday

Austin Peay State University Women’s Basketball hosts exhibition game against Freed-Hardeman, Thursday

Austin Peay vs. Freed-Hardeman
Thursday, November 4th, 2021 | 5:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Dunn Center

APSU Women's BasketballClarksville, TN – Fans can get their first glimpse of Brittany Young‘s Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team when it hosts an exhibition game against the Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions on Thursday, November 4th  at 5:00pm in the Winfield Dunn Center.

The women’s contest against the Lady Lions will be the first game in a doubleheader, with the men’s team playing a 7:30pm exhibition against Life University following the women’s game.

Thursday’s exhibition doubleheader will be unticketed and admission is free all fans. Gates to the Dunn Center will open one hour prior to the women’s contest and in accordance with the University’s COVID-19 guidelines, fans must wear a face covering at all times when indoors when they are not eating or drinking.

About the Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions

After going 12-13 (6-12 MSC) in his inaugural season, head coach Joshua Epperson enters his second year at the helm of Freed-Hardeman women’s basketball. The Lady Lions finished eighth in the Mid-South Conference in 2021 and fell in the opening round of the conference tournament to UT Southern – the Govs final nonconference opponent this season.

Freed-Hardeman returns every player from its 2021 roster this season, including sixth-year guard Reagan Floyd, who is the only remaining member of the Lady Lions 2018 NAIA National Championship team. The Lady Lions also return two-time NAIA All-American honorable mention Alyssa LeMay, who averaged a team-high 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds, while making a team-best 56 three-pointers last season.

2020-21 Second Team all-conference selection Carolina Chambers is the Lady Lions’ second-highest returning scorer and rebounder, she averaged 13.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor a year ago. Freed-Hardeman also added Florida College transfer Kinlee Varnell, who was a Second Team All-Southern States Athletics Conference selection after averaging 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season.

Series History

While Thursday’s exhibition will not count towards the series history, Austin Peay State University and Freed-Hardeman played six times in the 1980’s, with the Govs leading the series 4-2 and the Lady Lions winning the last matchup, 79-74, on December 4th, 1987.

What To Watch For…

A new era of Austin Peay State University women’s basketball with Brittany Young leading the Governors for her debut season as a head coach.

Young is the 12th head coach in program history, she is the eighth woman and the first African-American to lead the Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team.

2019-20 First Team All-OVC selection Karle Pace and 2020-21 First Team All-OVC selection Yamia Johnson transferred to Austin Peay State University from Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State, respectively.

A Clarksville native, Pace spent the past four seasons at Eastern Illinois, where she ranks 11th in program history in scoring with 1,387 points. The Rossview High School product has been one of the OVC’s top-ten scorers during each of the last three seasons.

Johnson ranked fourth in the OVC in scoring last season with 14.9 points per game last season. She also averaged 2.3 made three-pointers per game, which was second in the OVC behind her new teammate, Maggie Knowles, who buried a league-best 2.7 triples per game last season.

Knowles enters her senior year as the Austin Peay career three-point percentage leader at 38.3 percent from downtown in her career.

Shay-Lee Kirby ranked ninth in the OVC in three-pointers made per game (1.8) and led the Govs in three-point percentage (35.8 percent) last season.

Ella Sawyer played in just 14 games last season, but averaged a team-best 3.1 assists per game and led the Govs in assists a team-high seven games.

D’Shara Booker led Austin Peay in field-goals made (79), field-goal percentage (60.3%), and rebounding (6.1 rpg) last year.

Tickets

Season and single-game tickets are on sale for the 2021-22 basketball season. Fans can purchase or renew their season tickets online at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets or by calling the Austin Peay State University Ticket Office at 931.221.PEAY (7329). Season and single-game ticket information can also be found online.

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 APSU women’s basketball Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB). 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+.

Next Up For APSU Women’s Basketball

After Thursday’s exhibition against the Lady Lions, the Governors will tip off the season when they travel to Evansville for a 6:00pm, November 9th contest at Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville, Indiana.

Young and the APSU Govs will make their regular-season home debut when they host Pikeville at 6:00pm, November 12th at the Dunn Center.

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