Austin Peay State University Women’s Basketball falls at Eastern Illinois, 68-56

Charleston, IL – Yamia Johnson matched her season-high with 26 points, but the Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team dropped a 68-56 decision at Eastern Illinois, Saturday, in Ohio Valley Conference action at Lantz Arena.

Austin Peay (18-10, 11-7 OVC) fell behind early, with Eastern Illinois (16-13, 11-7 OVC) opening the game on a 9-0 run that took up the first 4:37 of the contest. The Governors finally got on the board and halted the Eastern Illinois run when Johnson converted a layup for the first two of her game-high 26 points.

Trailing by 11 points with 2:23 left in the opening period, Karle Pace buried a three-pointer to bring the Govs back within single digits, 13-5. But Eastern Illinois was able to close the first period on a 5-2 run and led, 18-7, after 10 minutes of basketball.
 
Eastern Illinois’ Abby Wahl opened the second period with two of her team-high 20 points to give the Panthers a 20-7 advantage. Down by 13, Johnson connected on her first triple of the game before Liz Gibbs connected on a second-chance layup to bring the Governors back within eight points, 20-12, at the 7:56 mark in the second quarter.
 
After cutting the Panther’s lead to single digits, the Govs were unable to get any closer and trailed by 11 points in the final minute of the second period. With 13 seconds left on the clock, Johnson knocked down another three-pointer to bring Austin Peay back within eight, 30-22, at the break.
 
After trading baskets to open the second half, the Governors trailed 36-28 before Ella Sawyer hit a three at the 7:06 mark that sparked a 7-1 run. D’Shara Booker buried a jumper in the paint and then Johnson connected from three-point range again to cap the quick 1:23 run that brought the Governors back within a single point, 37-36, with 5:43 left to play in the third period.

But Eastern Illinois had an answer for the Austin Peay State University run and went on a 10-1 run of their own, taking a nine-point advantage, 47-38, when Lariah Washington knocked down a jump shot for two of her team-high 20 points with 2:24 left in the third period.  

The APSU Govs were able to get the deficit back down to six late in the third quarter, but a Wahl layup at the 1:03 mark gave Eastern Illinois a 51-43 advantage at the end of the third period.

After a Washington jumper gave Eastern Illinois a 10-point lead, 53-43, on the first possession of the third quarter, Shay-Lee Kirby knocked down a three-pointer and Nina De Leon Negron hit a pair of free throws to cut the Panthers lead in half, 53-48, with 6:47 left to play.

But Eastern Illinois responded with a 16-1 run that spanned the next 3:48 of the contest and the Panthers built their largest lead, 66-49, of the game with 2:18 left to play. Trailing by 17, the Governors closed on a 7-2 run, but it was not enough and Austin Peay State University dropped its second-straight contest to close out the regular season.

The Difference 

The first quarter. Eastern Illinois outscored Austin Peay State University, 18-7, in the first period. Take out the opening ten minutes and it’s a 50-49 ballgame.

APSU Notably 

Austin Peay State University fell to 30-24 all-time against Eastern Illinois.

The Governors drop to 15-12 all-time against the Panthers in Charleston, Illinois.

Yamia Johnson led the APSU Govs in scoring for the team-leading 13th time and matched her season-high with 26 points.

Johnson scored in double-figures for the team-best 23rd time and posted her sixth game with 20-plus points this season.

Johnson has scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time as a Governor.

The last time Johnson posted back-to-back 20-point games was when she scored 29 points against Tennessee State (1/14/21) and 23 points at Belmont (1/16/21) while playing for Jacksonville State.

Nina De Leon Negron grabbed a team-high five rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists. She has led the way on the glass four times this season and has led the Governors in assists a team-leading 13 times.

Next Up For APSU Women’s Basketball

The Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team has secured the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye at the OVC Tournament, March 2nd-5th, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The Governors will be back in action when they play a 1:00pm, quarterfinal game, Thursday, against No. 5 seed Eastern Illinois or No. 8 seed Tennessee State.

For news and updates on everything Governors women’s basketball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.

Box Score

Austin Peay 56, Eastern Illinois 68