Austin Peay Lady Govs at Eastern Illinois
Saturday, January 21st, 2012 | Tipoff: 4:00pm (CT)
Charleston, IL | Arena: Lantz Arena (5,400)
Charleston, IL – Austin Peay will begin a difficult two-game trek through Illinois with a 4:00pm, Saturday contest at league-leading Eastern Illinois. The Lady Govs return to the road after a 1-2 homestand that ended with consecutive losses totaling three points.
Meanwhile, the Panthers – ranked No. 19 in the CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Poll – gained sole possession of the OVC’s top spot after posting a 70-63 victory against UT Martin, Monday. Austin Peay owns a 9-7 record in Charleston, IL, but have lost in its last four trips, each by a double-digit margin.
Austin Peay had only eight players available for Monday’s contest against Eastern Kentucky. APSU’s three freshmen available for the contest led the team in scoring. Somalia McKenney led the team with 14 points and added six rebounds in only her third game of action this season.
Shelby Olszewski tied the APSU single-game free-throw percentage mark – her 12-of-12 effort at the line accounting for all of her career-high 12 points. Kristen Stainback added 12 points, including a pair of three pointers. Austin Peay shot a season-low 29.1 percent (16-55) from the field, including a season-low 12.5 percent (2-16) from three-point range.
The Lady Govs made a season-high 25 free throws, converting on 86.2 percent of their 29 attempts. After recording double-digit assists in each of their last five outings, Austin Peay was limited to seven assists due to the poor shooting outing. The Lady Govs led three times for a total of 62 seconds in the loss.
Austin Peay was out-rebounded (37-46) for the seventh consecutive game and for the 16th time this season. The Lady Govs won the turnover battle (17-14) for the fourth consecutive game.
About Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois brings a six-game win streak into Saturday’s contest and has not lost at Lantz Arena in seven tries this season. The Panthers moved to No. 19 in the CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major poll, jumping five spots after their win against UT Martin, Monday. Eastern Illinois’ defense has proven formidable this season, holding opponents to an OVC best 58.8 points per game.
The Panthers also lead the league in both scoring margin (+12.6) and rebounding margin (+8.3). Junior Ta’Kenya Nixon leads EIU in scoring – her 14.9 points per game ranking sixth among OVC scorers – and she is one of three EIU players ranked among the league’s top 20 in scoring.
Fast Break Points
Injury Update: The injury bug has hit the Lady Govs hard in recent weeks. Freshman guard Shira Buley missed two games due to a concussion but will be available for Saturday’s contest at Eastern Illinois.
Junior forward Meghan Bussabarger suffered a concussion in a practice prior to the Eastern Kentucky contest and will not be available for either game of the Lady Govs weekend road trip.
The recent injuries have forced the Lady Govs to use their 12th different starting lineup combination this season. Those 12 combinations are the most used by a Division I team this season, only Colorado State has put forth at least 10 different lineups this season.
Senior guard Whitney Hanley became the 14th Austin Peay women’s basketball player to reach the 1,000-point plateau with er 21-point performance at Lipscomb, November 14th. Her 1,293 career points is ninth on the Lady Govs all-time scoring list and she needs 15 points to move into eighth on the list – a spot currently held by Elaine Swafford (1.307 pts, 1977-81).
Hanley saw her school-record streak of consecutive made free throws stopped at 25 when she missed her first free throw at Tennessee State, December 29th. She made her final three attempts. She broke the record, previously held by Brooke Armistead (24 consecutive FTM), with a 4-of-4 effort against Alabama A&M, December 21st.
Senior forward Jasmine Rayner became the 15th Lady Govs player to reach the 1,000-point plateau with an eight-point outing against Eastern Kentucky, January 16th. She moved into 14th on the scoring list, finishing the game with 1,005 career points. Rayner will need 114 points to move past head coach Carrie Daniels who holds down the 13th spot with 1,118 career points.
Austin Peay returns its four leading scorers from last season’s team: Hanley (12.2 ppg), Rayner (10.5 ppg), junior forward Meghan Bussabarger (8.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Nicole Olszewski (8.0 ppg).
Hanley was named to the Preseason All-OVC team after receiving second-team All-OVC honors last season.
Austin Peay is 47-53 (.470) in regular-season OVC play under Daniels.
The Lady Govs are 23-23 (.500) in January under Daniels.
An Austin Peay Win Would
Make it 3-2 in 2012… end its two-game losing streak… be its first victory at Lantz Arena since January 6th, 2007 and end a four-game losing streak there… be its second straight road win… improve Daniels’ record to 69-109 overall, including a 48-53 record in OVC play… make the Lady Govs 421-580 overall since 1976-77.
An Austin Peay Loss Would
Be its third consecutive loss… be its fifth-straight loss at Lantz Arena… make it 3-9 away from the Dunn Center this season… drop Daniels’ record to 68-110 overall, including a 47-54 record in OVC play… make the Lady Govs 420-581 overall since 1976-77.
Last Time Out
Austin Peay Lady Govs vs. Eastern Kentucky
January 16th, 2012
Clarksville, TN – A short-staffed Austin Peay squad was unable to find a gametying basket in the final two minutes of a 61-59 Ohio Valley Conference loss to Eastern Kentucky, Monday night at the Dunn Center.
Austin Peay held the lead three times in the contest but only for a total of 62 seconds. However, one of those brief leads came with 2:15 remaining when Whitney Hanley’s lay-up gave Austin Peay a 57-56 advantage. That lead would only last 28 seconds before Eastern Kentucky regained the lead on Marie Carpenter’s conventional three-point play at the 1:47 mark.
The Lady Govs were their own worst enemy in the final minute-plus. They had five possessions after EKU retook the lead but committed three turnovers and were one-of-two shooting. Hanley was responsible for the lone good shot in that span, her basket moving APSU within two points, 61-59, with 10.9 seconds left.
Austin Peay fouled before the ensuing in-bounds throw could start the clock.
Eastern Kentucky’s Carla Booth went to the line – where she made both her free throws just 11 seconds prior – and missed both of her attempts. The Lady Govs secured the rebound and Hanley brought the ball up the court. She threw a wild pass toward Nicole Olszewski who was unable to secure the ball as time expired.
Despite missing a pair of its leading scorers, Austin Peay climbed back from an 11-point first-half deficit. The Lady Govs used a 12-2 run late in the half to take a 24-23 lead with 3:42 left – a run spearheaded by Somalia McKenney (5 points) along with Jasmine Rayner, Nicole Olszewski and Shelby Olszewski.
Eastern Kentucky closed the period with an 11-3 run and held a 34-27 halftime advantage.
It was a banner night for the Lady Govs three freshman. McKenney, a freshman who had played nine minutes in two previous outings, led the Lady Govs with 14 points and six rebounds.
Shelby Olszewski, a freshman who entered the game making just 29 percent of her free throws, converted a school-record 12-of-12 from the stripe and finished with 12 points.
Kristen Stainback, the Lady Govs other freshman, made a pair of key second half three-pointers and also scored 12 points.
Carpenter led Eastern Kentucky with 22 points, 18 of those coming in the opening half. Alex Jones finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Last Meeting with Eastern Illinois
Austin Peay Lady Govs vs. Eastern Illinois
March 3rd, 2011
Nashville, TN – Austin Peay let another halftime slip away, but for the second consecutive day they rallied in the closing minutes to secure a 78-72 victory against Eastern Illinois in the Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Championship’s quarterfinal round.
Fifth-seeded Austin Peay (15-17) led at halftime, 42-34, for the second straight game in the tournament and, for the second straight game, surrendered that lead in the second half. The Lady Govs made just two field goals over a span of 6:27 to let their lead slip away Thursday.
Fourth-seeded Eastern Illinois (18-12) made 7-of-8 from the field during that APSU drought. Kelsey Wyss scored eight points during the burst including back-to-back three-point field goals that pushed the EIU lead to eight points, 61-53, with 10:56 remaining.
But the Panthers lead would grow no larger as the two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes. Austin Peay would only gain control of the game’s momentum with a critical flurry of activity with 4:38 remaining.
On its second possession of the flurry, sophomore Meghan Bussabarger missed a layup but grabbed her own rebound and was fouled, sending her to the line where she made both free throws and tied the game, 68-68, with 3:59 left.
Eastern Illinois tied the game once more, 70-70, with 2:13 left, but Austin Peay scored the game’s next seven points to secure the victory.
The first half was an entertaining affair with the teams exchanging the lead four times. Austin Peay led by eight points, 16-8, just 4:23 into the contest as it made six of its first eight field goals. Eastern Illinois battled back and gained
the lead, 24-21, just prior to the period’s halfway point. Austin Peay used a 14-5 run over the period’s final 5:47 to regain the lead and take an eight-point lead into halftime.
Rayner led the Lady Govs with 17 points and eight rebounds while also dishing out a season-high tying three assists. Faulkner finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Thomas ended the day with 14 points, seven rebounds. Nixon led Eastern Illinois with 27 points on 10-of-18 field-goal shooting and 7-of-8 free-throw shooting. Wyss added 14 points and seven rebounds while King chipped in 12 points.
The Carrie Daniels Show
The Carrie Daniels Show airs at 6:00pm, each Wednesday, live from Edwards Steakhouse on Franklin Street in downtown Clarksville.
Hosted by Brian Rives for the fourth consecutive season, the show will air live on WVRY 105.1 FM and be simulcast over the internet at LetsGoPeay.com.
Next Game
Lady Govs Meet Newest OVC Member SIU Edwardsville
Austin Peay concludes its trip through Illinois with a 7:00pm, Monday contest at SIU Edwardsville, the league’s newest member. It will be third meeting all-time between the two squads, Austin Peay winning at home during the 2008-09 season and SIU Edwardsville winning its home contest last season.
The Cougars enter the weekend fifth in the league standings but will not be eligible to participate in the OVC Tournament – one year remains on their transition to full NCAA Division I status.
