CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team earned a comfortable victory over Tennessee State, 74-47, Thursday night, at the Dunn Center.
The Governors (9-9, 4-3 OVC) rallied behind Keisha Gregory’s blistering 13 first quarter points, which combined with an efficient second half, allowed the Govs to lead from the opening basket to the end of the game.
The Govs finally got off to a great start, as the Govs hit their first four shots to open up play, with Gregory scoring the game’s first five points. The Lady Tigers (1-18, 1-6 OVC) matched the Govs initially, but the Govs started to terrorize them on the press, forcing seven turnovers in a four-minute span. The Govs started to pull away after a Gregory three, a steal, and then another Gregory three that ignited the eager Dunn Center crowd. The Govs used a 14-1 run to close the quarter, as they led 23-9 after the first while shooting 60 percent from the field. Gregory dominated the quarter, scoring 13 points in the first period alone.
Govs fans who wanted to see former APSU volleyball standout Logan Carger make her debut in a basketball jersey were in for a treat. The 5-9 forward made her first appearance in a basketball game early in the second quarter since joining before the SIUE game. In terms of what was going on in the quarter, the Lady Tigers clamped down and played extremely tight defense, as scoring came to a complete halt. After starting 9-of-14, the Govs went just 1-of-9 from the field. The good news was that the Lady Tigers did not fare much better, as they had a stretch shooting only 1-of-13 from the field. The Govs scored a season-low seven points in the second quarter, but also allowed only a season-low six points, as they led by 14 at the half. Gregory led all scorers and rebounders at the half with 15 and nine, respectively.
Gregory easily picked up her fourth career double-double just a couple minutes into the third quarter, with the 10th board being a new season-high for the senior. The Lady Tigers hung around for a bit before Brianah Ferby and Nieja Crawford hit threes on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to 18 points. APSU was able to get to the free-throw line in the third quarter, going 8-of-9 after just going 3-of-4 the entire first half. The Govs ended the quarter on a 14-6 run and effectively ended the game after three periods, leading 52-32.
Both teams traded buckets to start the fourth before the Govs closed any lingering doubt with a 12-0 run which featured a couple of nice buckets from Kasey Kidwell. The Govs hit their first seven shots of the fourth quarter and the Lady Tigers started just one-of-eight. The Govs ended up blowing the Lady Tigers out, winning 74-47. The 47 points were the least allowed this season as the Govs recorded their second wire-to-wire win after Alabama A&M earlier this season.