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HomeSportsAPSU Women's Basketball hits the road Saturday to take on Southeast Missouri

APSU Women’s Basketball hits the road Saturday to take on Southeast Missouri

Austin Peay (7-4 | 0-1 OVC) at Southeast Missouri (4-0 | 0-1 OVC)
Saturday, January 1st, 2022 | 2:00pm
Cape Girardeau, MO | Show Me Center

APSU Women's BasketballClarksville, TN – Looking to ring in the new year with its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball team will play on New Year’s Day for the second time in program history when it hits the road to take on Southeast Missouri on Saturday, January 1st at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The tip-off is at 2:00pm.

Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri both dropped their OVC openers, Thursday, with the Governors falling to UT Martin and the Redhawks losing at Murray State. The Govs are 7-4 this season and have won three-straight road games after falling in the season opener at Evansville, November 9th. Southeast Missouri is 4-8 this season and is 3-3 at home with back-to-back wins against Harris-Stowe, December 5th, and Purdue Fort Wayne, December 9th, in the Show Me Center.
 
Saturday’s game, as well as all OVC contests this season, will be broadcast on ESPN+.

About the Southeast Missouri Redhawks

After a third-place finish in the 2020-21 OVC regular season, Southeast Missouri fell to No. 6-seed Murray State in the opening round of the OVC Tournament in Evansville, Indiana. With seventh-year head coach Rekha Patterson at the helm, the Redhawks were tabbed to finish sixth in the 2021-22 OVC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll.

Southeast Missouri is off to a 4-8 start this season and dropped its OVC opener to Murray State, 58-82, at the CFSB Center, Thursday, in Murray, Kentucky.

Junior guard Roshala Scott leads Southeast Missouri on the offensive end, averaging 12.0 points per game, which ranks 12th in the OVC this season. Senior guard Taelour Pruitt is the Redhawks second-leading scorer, she ranks 20th in the OVC, averaging 10.3 points per game.

Pruitt and Scott are also Southeast Missouri’s top facilitators on offense, averaging 3.2 and 3.1 assists per game, respectively, which ranks ninth and tenth in the OVC.

Senior Deanay Watson ranks tenth in the OVC in rebounding and leads the Redhawks on the glass, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game this season. Watson also averages 9.9 points per game while shooting 58.0 percent from the floor — good for the fourth-best field-goal percentage in the OVC.

Shooting 56.3 percent from the floor, freshman forward Halle Smith ranks fifth in the league in field-goal percentage this season. Smith also gives the Redhawks 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Southeast Missouri averages 38.2 rebounds per game this season, which ranks second in the league behind Murray State’s 44.0 rebounds per game. However, the Redhawks give up 42.0 rebounds per game – the most in the OVC – and have a -3.8 rebounding margin.

Series History and Lasting Meeting

This is the 66th meeting all-time between Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri. The Governors lead the all-time series 34-31, despite the Redhawks winning the last four matchups.

Four Governors scored in double-figures, led by 21 points from Brianah Ferby, but Austin Peay was unable to hold off Southeast Missouri in overtime and fell, 73-68, on Feb. 13, 2021, in Clarksville at the Winfield Dunn Center.

The Redhawks outscored the Governors, 11-6, in overtime, with Taelour Pruitt scoring six of her game-high 25 points in the extra period. Tesia Thompson added 20 points, with four coming in overtime, and Latrese Saine posted a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double for Southeast Missouri.

Brianah Ferby led the Govs from deep, going a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range en route to 21 points. D’Shara Booker led the Governors with eight rebounds, she also added 15 points and a career-best three assists.
 
Shay-Lee Kirby and Maggie Knowles each hit three triples in the contest, scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively. Ella Sawyer played a career-high 41 minutes and led the Govs with six assists.

APSU Notably

Austin Peay State University is set to play on New Year’s Day for just the second time in program history. Previously, the APSU Govs fell to Rollins, 69-71, at the Rollins Invitational in Winter Park, Florida, on January 1st, 1983.

First-year head coach Brittany Young is looking for her first Ohio Valley Conference win after falling to UT Martin in the conference opener.

2021-22 APSU Women's Basketball - Yamia Johnson. (Robert Smith, APSU Sports Information)Austin Peay State University is looking to pick up its first win against Southeast Missouri since a 56-54 victory on February 21st, 2019, in the Winfield Dunn Center.

A win on Saturday would mark the Governors first win at the Show Me Center since they beat the Redhawks, 61-50, on February 3rd, 2018.

2021-22 APSU Women's Basketball - Liz Gibbs. (Robert Smith, APSU Sports Information)Through 11 games, APSU is shooting 46.0 percent from the floor as a team — that ranks second in the OVC. The Govs have not shot over 45 percent from the floor in a season since the 2002-03 team set the program record by shooting 47.4 percent.

Austin Peay State University also ranks third in the OVC in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 38.6 percent shooting from the floor this season.

2021-22 APSU Women's Basketball - Lyric ColeAPSU ranks second in the OVC in scoring defense (58.1 ppg) and scoring margin (+10.0). Austin Peay State University’s defense had held ten-straight opponents under 70 points to start the season before UT Martin scored exactly 70 points against the Govs in the OVC opener.

The Governors lead the OVC in three-point percentage (.341) and three-point percentage defense (.251). APSU has connected on 71 three-pointers this season, which ranks second in the league behind Belmont’s 83 triples.

Austin Peay State University swept the OVC weekly awards for the first time in program history this week with Yamia Johnson, Liz Gibbs, and Lyric Cole earning Player, Newcomer, and Freshman of the Week, respectively.

Yamia Johnson leads the Governors and ranks third in the OVC in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game.

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). More information on season and single-game tickets can also be found online.

APSU Govs Online

For up-to-date news and information on Austin Peay State University Athletics, check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow along on Facebook. To keep up with the Governors women’s basketball team, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB). Live stats will be available during all home games and select road games at PeayStats.com.

In addition, all Austin Peay State University home games, OVC games, and select road games will be broadcast on ESPN+ this season, visit the APSU women’s basketball schedule at LetsGoPeay.com for a complete broadcast schedule.

Next Up For APSU Women’s Basketball

The Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team returns home to host a January 6th contest against SIU Edwardsville with a 5:00pm tip-off and a January 8th contest against Morehead State in the Winfield Dunn Center starting at 1:30pm.

The Governors then make the quick trip to Nashville on January 13th for a 5:00pm game against Belmont at the Curb Event Center.

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