Conway, AR – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball came up just short of an Atlantic Sun Conference road win, falling 56-55 to Central Arkansas on Saturday at the Farris Center.
Austin Peay (9-9, 2-2) trailed by eight points, 56-48, with 4:41 remaining in the game after a Central Arkansas 6-0 scoring run. La’Nya Foster made two three-pointers down the stretch, drew a foul on one of them, and made the free throw to get the APSU Govs back within a point with 24 seconds remaining.
Central Arkansas would use two timeouts, and the Govs committed four fouls in the next 18 seconds, getting UCA into the bonus with six seconds left. The Bears missed both their free throws, and Abby Cater grabbed the rebound and went the length of the court but her jumper at the horn couldn’t’ find the mark.
Central Arkansas (11-5, 3-0) got out to a quick start and led 21-13 after the first quarter, shooting 61.5 percent from the field in the first quarter while holding the Governors to 33.3 percent shooting. The Sugar Bears opened the second making each of their first five field goals, extending their lead to fifteen points, 30-15. Shamarre Hale’ three layups in a 45-second span trimmed the Govs deficit to nine points at 30-21.
The APSU Govs managed to trim their deficit down to as little as eight, but a layup from UCA’s Destine Duckworth extended the Sugar Bear’s lead to 37-27 heading into halftime.
Austin Peay State University cut its deficit to eight points, 42-36, with five minutes left in the third quarter. Then the Govs held the Sugar Bears scoreless for two minutes in the third as they battled back, scoring eight points and trimming their deficit to three at 47-44 with two minutes remaining. Hale’s two free throws got the APSU Govs within a point of UCA, but Upshaw’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave UCA a four-point lead, 50-46, headed into the final frame.
The Difference?
A slow start. Austin Peay State University scored just 13 points in the first quarter compared to UCA’s 21. The APSU Govs shot 33.3 percent from the field in that period as the Sugar Bears shot 61.5 percent.
Inside the Box Score?
La’Nya Foster led Austin Peay State University with 19 points for the first time this season.
Shamarre Hale and Anala Nelson had 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Nelson led the APSU Govs with five rebounds, her third time as the Govs’ leading rebounder this season and fourth time of her career.
Cur’Tiera Haywood and Hale both picked up two blocks.
Alyssa Hargrove led APSU with five steals, her second consecutive game with five steals.
Next Up For APSU Women’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team returns home to face the Lipscomb Bisons for a Saturday, January 20th, 2:00pm game at F&M Bank Arena. Fans can purchase their tickets online at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets or by calling the Austin Peay Ticket Office at 931.221.PEAY (7329).
