CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.– Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team, the Ohio Valley Conference leader after two weeks, begins a challenging three-game OVC road trip when it meets Tennessee State in a 5:30 p.m., Thursday contest at the Gentry Center.
The Govs moved to 3-0 in league play courtesy its second straight come-from-behind effort in a 91-75 win against Tennessee Tech, Saturday. Austin Peay trailed by 15 points after the first quarter, but erased that deficit with a 15-0 run to start the second period. APSU leveled the game after three quarters before racing away courtesy a 32-16 fourth quarter margin.
Senior guard Tiasha Gray notched her fifth career 30-point outing, finishing with 32 points in 32 minutes against the Golden Eagles. That performance helped her claim the OVC’s Player of the Week award for the first time this season, Tuesday, as well as Tennessee Player of the Week honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.
Backing up Gray was the front-court duo of junior forward Beth Rates and sophomore center Brianne Alexander. Rates put forth a career-high 18 points thanks to a 6-of-10 shooting performance while also added seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Alexander returned to action after missing four games due to injury and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, making 11-of-12 at the free-throw line.
Austin Peay’s 3-0 OVC start came on the back of three straight home games. Beginning with Thursday’s contest, the Govs begin a three-game OVC road trip which includes Thursday’s game followed by a Saturday tilt at Belmont then a Wednesday affair at Morehead State. Tennessee State (seven wins) and Belmont (six wins) own the two longest active home win streaks in the OVC. Meanwhile, four of Morehead State’s six wins have come in its home gym.
Tennessee State sits one-game behind Austin Peay with a 2-1 conference mark, winning its last two conference outings. Most recently, the Lady Tigers handed preseason favorite SIUE its first loss, 73-61, Saturday, behind a season-best 48.1 percent shooting performance. Junior guard I’mani Davis led TSU with a 20-point, 7-rebound performance while junior forward Jayda Johnson added 19 points and eight rebounds.
Thursday’s contest will be the 58th meeting since 1976-77 between Austin Peay and Tennessee State, with APSU holding a 31-27 advantage. The Lady Tigers have dominated the series since 2006-07, winning 11 of the 15 meetings, including its current five-game win streak. Austin Peay has not won in the Gentry Center since Jan. 15, 2011, losing the last two meetings there.