Lady Govs Host Cardinals in December-Opening Hoops Contest

December 1, 2012 |

Austin Peay women’s basketball team seeks an end to its three-game losing streak when it hosts Ball State in a 5:15 p.m., Saturday contest at the Dunn Center. The Lady Govs return home following a stunning second-half letdown that allowed host Vanderbilt to escape with a 67-36 victory, Wednesday. Ball State, under the tutelage of former Eastern Illinois head coach Brady Sallee, wraps up a four-game road trip with a visit to Clarksville. The Cardinals have lost their last two outings, including a 63-53 loss at Murray State, Thursday.

LADY GOVS SEASON TO DATE

Austin Peay’s current three-game losing streak has been characterized by poor shooting and rebounds… while the Lady Govs haven’t shot the ball well this season, they have made just 34.9 percent of their shots during the losing streak… rebounding also has been a concern through six games, but a 56-24 rebounding loss to Vanderbilt pushed Austin Peay’s margin to -15 per game during the losing streak… nine APSU players have played in all six contests… Austin Peay head coach Carrie Daniels made a change to the starting lineup at Vanderbilt, inserting freshman Jennifer Nwokocha for senior Kaitlyn Hill – it was the first change to the starting five this season… Austin Peay has won the turnover battle in its last four outings and now owns a plus-2.7 turnover margin… the Lady Govs have not won a rebounding battle this season and are suffering a minus-15.3 rebounding margin through six games… seven players are averaging five points per game, but only one player is averaging more than 10 points per game (Leslie Martinez, 10.5 ppg).

CARDINALS CALL

Ball State has played four of its last five on the road, posting a 1-3 mark in those contests… four of the Cardinals starting five have logged 30-plus minutes per game and they have eight players who have played in all seven contests… in the loss at Murray State, junior Katie Murphy posted a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double, making 50 percent (6-of-12) of her shots… Ball State’s three leading scorers are also the team’s three leading rebounders – freshman Nathalie Fontaine, a 6-2 guard, leads the team with 11.9 points per game and ranks second in rebounding (6.6 rpg); junior Katie Murphy, a 6-0 forward, leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game and ranks third in scoring (10.3 ppg); junior Brandy Woody, a 5-4 guard, is second in scoring (11.0 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.6 rpg).

AN AUSTIN PEAY WIN WOULD…

Be its second straight home win… end its three-game losing streak… be its first victory against Ball State… make it 2-1 at the Dunn Center this season… improve Daniels’ record to 74-121 overall… make the Lady Govs 427-594 overall since 1976-77.

AN AUSTIN PEAY LOSS WOULD…

Be its fourth consecutive loss… make it 1-2 at the Dunn Center this season… keep it winless against Ball State all-time (0-3)… drop Daniels’ record to 73-122 overall… make the Lady Govs 426-595 overall since 1976-77.

LADY GOVS ADD ST. CATHARINE TO SCHEDULE

Austin Peay women’s basketball team has added St. Catharine College to its 2012-13 schedule in a game to be played at 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 9 at the Dunn Center. The game replaces the Dec. 15 contest against Christian Brothers which was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. Austin Peay season ticket holders who have a ticket for the Dec. 15 contest may use that ticket for the Dec. 9 game.

FRESHMAN TRIO EATING UP MINUTES EARLY

The freshman trio of Tiasha Gray (20.5 mpg), Jennifer Nwokocha (13.7 mpg) and Alexis Hardaway (22.8 mpg) have found themselves heavily involved this season, combining for 342 minutes (28.5 percent). Hardaway posted a 10-point, six-rebound effort against Binghamton, Nov. 18. Nwokocha was the next to break through with a double-digit scoring performance, scoring 12 points against William & Mary, Nov. 24, and was tapped to make the first start by a freshman (at Vanderbilt, Nov. 28). Gray showed a glimpse at her potential with a nine-assist effort against William & Mary and followed it with a team-high 12 points against Vanderbilt.

CHARITY STRIPE

After opening the season making just 16 of its first 30 free throws (53.3 percent), Austin Peay has made its opponents pay in the more recent stretch of games, converting 61-of-88 (69.3 percent) during that span. The burst has helped the Lady Govs push their season free-throw percentage to 65.3 percent, but still ranks 10th among OVC teams.

The Rundown

Date: Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 | Tipoff: 5:15 p.m. (CT)

Location: Clarksville, Tenn. | Arena: Dunn Center (7,257)

Radio: Governors Sports Network (David Loos, play-by-play and Van Stokes, analyst)

Live Stats: www.LetsGoPeay.com | Live Audio: www.LetsGoPeay.com | ipTV: www.OVCDigitalNetwork.com

Head Coaches: Austin Peay – Carrie Daniels (Austin Peay, 1996) is 73-121 (.376) in her seventh season as a head coach at Austin Peay. Ball State – Brady Sallee (Thomas More, 1993) is 2-5 (.400) in his first season at the school and 138-114 (.548) in his 12th season as a head coach.

Series: Ball Stats leads, 2-0 (1st meeting in Clarksville) | Streak: Ball State, two wins | Daniels vs. BSU: 0-1

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