COVINGTON, KY. – (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) Austin Peay women’s basketball team extends their winning streak to seven-straight games with a 53-52 win over Northern Kentucky.
Austin Peay (7-1) faced Northern Kentucky for the first time in program history, and started the game hot from beyond the arc. Falon Baker went 2-for-3 from deep, scoring six points for the Governors in the opening quarter. The Governors jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but the Norse clawed back into the game scoring 13 points in the first quarter.
Austin Peay cranked up their defense in the second quarter building a 13-point lead, holding Northern Kentucky to six points, and scoring 12 points off seven Norse turnovers. Falon Baker continued to show her offensive pressence in the second quarter, shooting 60.0 percent from the field, scoring eight points leading and all scorers with 14 points, as the Govs took a 30-19 lead into the break.
In the third quarter, the Governors struggled from the field, going 5-for-16 from the field, without scoring a three-point basket. However, the Governors took care of the basketball, only coughing up the ball three times, as the game was tied at 42 heading into the final quarter.
With both teams looking to pull away in the final 10 minutes, Keisha Gregory took control for the Governors offensively, scoring seven points in the final quarter and hauling in four rebounds. The Governors continued to trade baskets with the Norse late into the fourth quarter, before Baker took the ball from the top of the key, and driving to her left, nailed a bank shot with four seconds remaining, securing the Governors.
Falon Baker led the Govs with 16 points and two assists, including the game winner. Baker went 4-for-7 from three-point territory, shooting 66.7 percent from deep in the first half. Keisha Gregory continued her consistent scoring, racking up 15 points and four rebounds. Brianah Ferby scored seven points off the bench, tallying one rebound and one steal in her 25 minutes on the court.
APSU Head Coach David Midlick said this about the game. “Defensive stops in the fourth quarter played a big role in us being able to win this game. They scored 23 points on us in the third period, and that is what swung the game, we dug down deep and got some stops against them,” said Midlick.
Midlick added, “Going into Saturday, we have to take care of the basketball and clean up some things on offense. I think 16 turnovers, with 10 in the first half, is too much and we will want to focus on transition defense.”
The Govs will return home to the Dunn Center, 2 p.m., Saturday against Western Illinois for their final home game of their non-conference schedule.