Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s basketball team fell 64-52 in their season opener against Bethel, Monday, on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena.
Both teams were scoreless until free throws by Bethel’s Hallie Turner nearly two minutes into the game. La’Nya Foster tied the game with a jumper with 7:54 remaining. The Lady Wildcats retook the lead at 4-2 with 6:58 left in the first quarter, sparking a scoring drought from both teams, which was ended by a three-pointer by Kylie Reynolds from a Governor turnover, making the score 7-2 with four and a half minutes remaining.
A layup by Nisea Burrell would be the last basket of the quarter for Austin Peay State University as Bethel would end the first quarter with a three-pointer and fast-break layup to take the 12-4 lead into the second quarter.
The Governors opened the second frame by scoring 13 points in the first three minutes to take their first lead at 17-16. A three-pointer from Briana Rivera, quickly followed by a layup and free throw by Jenny Ntambwe, would extend the Governors’ lead to 23-18 with five and a half minutes left to play in the half.
The Lady Wildcats would get as close as five points to the Governors at 25-20, but the Governors ended the second quarter on an 11-5 run to take an 11-point lead at 36-25 going into halftime.
The two teams exchanged points to begin the third quarter with a free-throw by Foster with 6:30 remaining, which gave them a 13-point lead at 42-29. A Governor scoring drought from 5:42-1:28 allowed the Lady Wildcats to cut their deficit to six points at 43-37.
APSU ended their drought with a three-pointer from Rivera and a jumper from inside the paint by Anala Nelson, extending the Govs’ lead to 10 at 48-38 with 33 seconds left in the third quarter. The Lady Wildcats ended the quarter with a three-pointer at the buzzer to get within seven points of the Govs at 48-41 going into the final quarter.
Austin Peay State University was scoreless until a driving layup from the paint by Burrell with 2:45 remaining allowed Bethel to take the lead by four at 54-50. The Lady Wildcats ended the game on a 10-2 run, taking the 64-52 win.
The Difference
The fourth quarter. The Lady Wildcats outscored the Governors 23-4 as they held APSU to an 11.1 shooting percentage, their lowest of the night. The fourth quarter was Bethel’s most efficient of the game, with a 46.2 shooting percentage.
Inside The Box Score
La’Nya Foster paced Austin Peay State University with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Briana Rivera had three three-pointers.
Foster and Anala Nelson both had two assists.
Nelson extended her starting streak to 62, and Foster extended hers to 15.
Next Up For APSU Women’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team travels down I-24 to face Vanderbilt in a Friday 5:30pm game at Memorial Gymnasium.
