CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Saturday nights at the Dunn Center have been something special for Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team and the trend held true in an 80-70 upset win of Ohio Valley Conference leader UT Martin.

Austin Peay (8-18, 6-7 OVC), which improved to 5-0 in home Saturday dates, took control of the contest with a 16-3 run in the opening 4:31 of the second quarter. The burst was spurred by the trio of senior guard Tiasha Gray, junior center Tearra Banks and freshman guard Falon Baker who combined for all 16 APSU points. The Govs, who held a one point lead after the first quarter, held a 44-30 advantage after the opening run.

The Govs would see that lead shrink during the rest of the second quarter, UT Martin closing to within three points on a Jessy Ward three-pointer with 52 seconds left. But Banks would strike again with a layup on the next APSU possession for a 53-48 halftime lead.

The second half proved to be a defensive struggle, with neither team matching their first half output. UT Martin (17-8, 10-2 OVC) had a golden opportunity to close the deficit in the third quarter during a four minute shooting drought by APSU. But the Skyhawks saw the opportunity slip by as they only scored six points, closing within two points, 59-57, after Katie Schubert’s layup with 1:09 left.

Gray responded with the third quarter’s final four points, extending the Govs lead back to six points, 63-57, at quarter’s end. Austin Peay then used a Banks layup and Rich three-pointer to push the lead to nine points early in the fourth.

UT Martin closed back to within four points on a 5-0 run, but Austin Peay closed the game with a 8-3 burst that saw it convert on 6-of-8 free-throws in the final 1:05 to secure the win.

Gray finished with a game-high 29 points, making 10-of-22 from the floor and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line.

Sophomore guard Madison Rich and Banks each supplied 12 points and Baker added 10 points. Junior forward Beth Rates grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and had six points.

Ward led UT Martin with 22 points but was held scoreless in the second half. Haley Howard added 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Skyhawks had five players reach double-digit scoring territory.

The Skyhawks opened the game making 19-of-31 (61.3 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from three-point rang