APSU Women’s Basketball
Murray, KY – Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team dismissed a slow start and ended a four-game losing streak with a 71-55 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Murray State, Saturday afternoon, at CFSB Center.
Murray State (4-11, 0-5 OVC) got off to a hot start, making seven of their first nine field goals and scoring the game’s first 12 points and led 14-2 with 14:07 remaining in the first half. Austin Peay (5-13, 4-2) missed its first nine field goals, only breaking through on freshman Nicole Olszewski’s layup at the 14:21 mark.
However, that single point was the start of a 24-6 run over the next 10 minutes that turned the Racers 12-point lead into a 10-point, 26-16, Austin Peay advantage with 3:40 left.
Austin Peay would later close the half with six consecutive points and took a 35-22 lead into halftime. The Lady Govs closed the period making eight of their final 17 shots (47 percent) while the Racers cooled off considerably, making just one field goal (4.7 percent) in the final 14 minutes .
The Lady Govs opened the second half by extending their lead to 16 points as the Racers did not score until the 16:55 mark. Murray State attempted to use full-court pressure to climb back into the contest, but could not halt the Lady Govs progress.
Junior Whitney Hanley pushed the lead to 20 points, 54-34, with a free-throw at the 9:10 mark. It reached 22, the Lady Govs largest advantage, courtesy a Olszewski three-pointer at 4:36 and Austin Peay would not be threatened the game’s remainder.
Hanley recorded her season’s second double-double, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds while also dishing out three assists and nabbing two steals.
Olszewski scored a game-high 17 points and dished out five assists and nabbed four steals. Freshman Shyra Brown – making her second appearance – scored her first collegiate points and finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
Kayla Lowe led Murray State with 12 points. Jessica Winfrey added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Tessa Elkins chipped in 11 points off the bench.
Austin Peay will get seven days to prepare for its next outing, a 5:30pm, Saturday contest at Tennessee State which will serve as the conclusion of APSU’s current six-game road trip.
