Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball team defeated New Mexico State in dramatic overtime fashion, 57-55, with a jumper at the buzzer by Abby Cater giving the Governors their third straight victory on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena, Wednesday.
Cater was the scoring leader for the third time this season with her 16-point performance. After the game was tied by a New Mexico State three-pointer by Sylena Peterson off a Governors’ turnover with five seconds remaining in overtime, Cater beat the clock with a floater from outside of the paint, giving Austin Peay the win.
A three-pointer by Sandra Lin got things started for the Govs 32 seconds into the first quarter as Ene Adams from New Mexico State responded with a layup 27 seconds later. A layup from Anala Nelson followed by a three-pointer from New Mexico State’s Molly Kaiser tied the game at five with 7:42 left in the quarter.
The Governors went on a 7-0 run as they held the Aggies scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Kaiser ended the Aggies scoring drought with a jumper from the paint making the score 12-7 with 59 seconds left in the quarter.
Cater responded 20 seconds later with a turnaround jumper in the paint, giving the Governors back their seven-point lead at 14-7. New Mexico State’s Fanta Gassama made a layup from the paint, ending the quarter with the APSU Govs leading by 5 at 14-9.
The Aggies opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run and took their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 3:54 remaining in the half. Austin Peay had a six-and-a-half minute scoring drought end off a second-chance layup from the paint by Tiya Douglas, giving the APSU Govs back the lead by one at 18-17.
A layup by New Mexico’s Loes Rozing and a layup from the paint off an Austin Peay State University turnover by Peterson gave the Aggies the lead by three at 21-18 heading into halftime.
The Governors and the Aggies went back-and-forth during the third quarter as APSU cut their deficit to one point six times and took the lead twice. A layup by Shamarre Hale gave APSU their last lead of the quarter at 30-29 with 3:08 left in the quarter. The Aggies ended the third quarter on a 7-0 scoring run, giving them the lead at 36-30 heading into the final quarter.
Austin Peay State University began the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 38-38 with 8:03 left in regulation. The Aggies made four of their next seven shots taken, giving them the lead by five at 45-40 with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter.
The APSU Govs went on a 7-2 run, as a driving layup by Lin tied the game at 47 with eight seconds remaining in the game. Kaiser attempted and missed a game-winning shot, sending the game into overtime.
A layup by Rozing gave the Aggies the two-point lead at 49-47 less than a minute into overtime. The game was tied by two free throws made by Nelson and a jumper by Hale, which gave the Governors a two-point lead with 2:40 left on the clock.
New Mexico got possession of the ball after an Austin Peay State University turnover and Peterson tied the game with a three point jumper with five seconds remaining. A floating jumper by Cater from right outside of the paint at the buzzer gave Austin Peay State University the victory at 57-55 and its third straight win at home.
The Difference?
Late efficiency. The Austin Peay State University shot 10-16 (62.5) from the field in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Governors shot 70 percent in the fourth quarter alone while holding the Aggies to 45.5 percent in that same quarter.
The APSU Govs then made three of their six overtime baskets while New Mexico made two of six.
Inside the Box Score?
Abby Cater scored a team-high 16 points, her third time this season as a leading scorer and third in her career.
Shamarre Hale grabbed a team high seven rebounds, making her fifth time as a leading rebounder this season. Hale also blocked three shots.
Anala Nelson had four assists and picked up 11 points.
Sandra Lin had three steals and ten points.
This was the first overtime game in F&M Bank arena and the second overtime win in the Brittany Young era.
Next Up For APSU Women’s Basketball
The Holiday Hoops Classic presented by Coke Zero Sugar continues tomorrow as the Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team faces Stephen F. Austin at 2:30pm. The Governors will wrap up their nonconference schedule with a December 30th 2:00pm game against Miami (Ohio) at F&M Bank Arena.
