Nashville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2022-23 season following a 70-61 defeat against Vanderbilt, Thursday, at Memorial Gymnasium.
Yamia Johnson and Mariah Adams opened the game with back-to-back scores to give APSU an early, 4-0 lead. A 5-1 Vanderbilt run following Adams’ basket brought Vanderbilt within one with 7:41 remaining in the opening quarter; however, the Govs hit five of their first seven shots to pave the way to a 16-10 after the first quarter.
Austin Peay State University extended their lead to a game-high nine points less than two minutes into the second quarter following Tiya Douglas’ first three-pointer of the night.
The APSU Govs held a 23-17 advantage following Jada Roberson’s first basket of the game after the second quarter’s media timeout, but Vanderbilt answered with a 13-4 run over the final 4:38 to take a 29-27 lead at halftime.
Douglas led APSU with seven first-half points and a career-high six rebounds, while Johnson was 3-for-3 from the field with six points at the break.
The Commodores scored five-straight points to begin the second half and led 36-27 before Douglas’ fourth field goal sparked a 6-0 APSU run three minutes into the penultimate quarter. Four-straight APSU turnovers, however, returned the momentum to the Commodores, who led 44-37 midway through the frame.
Johnson converted her second and-one opportunity to reach double figures with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter, while Douglas’ second triple followed by a Shamarre Hale free throw trimmed the Govs’ deficit to two heading into the final quarter.
After holding Vanderbilt to 40 percent from the field in the third quarter, Austin Peay State University was unable to slow a Commodores offense that hit 8-for-11 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep in the final quarter.
Adams opened the fourth quarter with a game-tying step-back jump shot, while Hale – following a Vanderbilt score on the following possession – tied the game at 48 after grabbing her third offensive rebound and laying it in for her sixth and seventh points of the game.
After exchanging the next two scores, a 14-3 Vanderbilt run gave the Commodores a 64-53 lead with under three minutes remaining in the game. Despite trimming the deficit to six with 33 seconds remaining, the APSU Govs were unable to complete the late comeback bid and dropped their first game of the 2022-23 season.
The Difference
The fourth quarter. Vanderbilt outscored Austin Peay 24-17 over the final 10 minutes, while also making over 72 percent of their baskets. The Commodores hit all six of their late-game free throws to secure the win and knocked down a pair of three-point shots.
Inside the Box Score
Austin Peay State University fell to 2-18 all-time against the Commodores and 3-35 against the Southeastern Conference.
APSU’s nine-point defeat was its closest to a Power 5 opponent since it dropped a 76-75 decision against No. 19 Pittsburg, December 20th, 2010.
After coming off the bench in each of the last 34 games, Yamia Johnson earned her second start as a Gov.
Johnson led APSU scoring for the second time this season with 15 points.
Mariah Adams played over 39 minutes for the second-straight game. The Little Rock, Arkansas native finished third on the team with 14 points and had a team-best five assists.
Tiya Douglas led APSU with six made field goals and eight rebounds while scoring a career-best 14 points.
Johnson improved to 12-for-12 from the charity stripe this season after making five free throws against the Commodores.
Shamarre Hale scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds in 20 minutes of action in her first-career game as a Gov. Hale also led APSU with three seals.
Jada Roberson scored a season-best 11 points while tying with Hale for a team-best three offensive rebounds.
Austin Peay State University forced has forced its opponents to commit 17-or-more turnovers in all three games this season. The ASPU Govs forced 19 turnovers in Thursday’s loss.
Coach’s Corner
With head women’s basketball coach Brittany Young
Opening thoughts… “I am proud of our team’s effort. It is easy to come into an environment like this – an SEC opponent – and get a little awestruck and they did not do that. I like the way that we came in and, as the game progressed, we felt like we were supposed to win. Your belief and your mindset are so much of the battle. If you come in and feel defeated before we start, it is going to be very difficult, but this team believed. I am proud of this team, but I do think for us to become the team that we want to be, there are some execution things that we have to continue to clean up.”
On Tiya Douglas… “I am happy for her. When you think about Tiya and her story, she was a kid that played at this level over the last few years. For her to be able to come back to a similar opponent and to have some career highs, personally, I am very happy for her. Tiya is a tough young lady. She helps set our tone, especially defensively. The fact that she got it rolling a little tonight offensively is a huge positive for us as we continue to look forward.”
On competing late against an SEC opponent… “At the end of the day, we are a mid-major team. Vanderbilt has things that Austin Peay may not have like certain resources, but we are headed in the right direction. We have a lot in store for people. At the end of the day, we don’t really look at rankings. Tonight was a Power 5 opponent, an SEC team on their own home court and it is easy to get caught up in the environment and happy with just being here, but the thing I loved from the team is that we did not do that. We came out and competed, and I am proud of our group for that. That mindset is going to help us go deep into the season.”
Looking ahead to the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic… “We want to continue to get better in rebounding and our team defense ahead of our next three games. I also want us to continue to find chemistry and consistency. We want to continue to play more players. Ideally, I do not like playing any of these ladies 40 minutes per game. I have had to do that the last few games, but I am expecting us to be healthy headed into next week. I would like to showcase our depth and give minutes to more players.”ÂÂ
Follow The APSU Govs
For news and updates throughout the Governors’ inaugural season as a member of the ASUN Conference, follow the APSU women’s basketball team on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsWBB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
Next Up For ASPU Women’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team travels to Savannah, Georgia, November 21st-23rd for the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic. The Govs open the tournament with a 1:00pm, November 21st game against Davidson before facing Fairleigh Dickinson and Illinois-Chicago, on November 22nd and November 23rd, respectively.
