Murray State
Austin Peay
Lady Racers Fall To APSU 82-70
2/1/2007 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Lady Racers had a 37-34 halftime lead, but Austin Peay boosted its defense, holding MSU to 32.1-percent shooting in the second half to take the game 82-70, splitting the season series with Murray State.
The teams battled evenly in the first half, with Murray State working the ball for the open shot and Austin Peay playing physically down low. Both teams crashed the defensive boards well, setting up the first half as a transition game.
Murray State took a 21-17 lead with 8:53 left in the first half when senior forward Joi Scott scored a three-point play, notching her 17th point of the game. MSU led 23-21 when two free throws from sophomore forward Ashley Nichole Hayes and a three from sophomore guard Amber Guffey gave the Lady Racers a 28-21 lead with 6:44 left in the half. APSU closed out the half on a 5-2 run to trim the MSU lead to 37-34 at the half.
Scott had a game-high 18 points at the half, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from the line. She also had a game-high five rebounds at the half. Guffey had nine points and a game-high six assists at intermission. MSU shot 52.4 percent from the field (11-for-21), while the Lady Govs hit 51.9 percent (14-for-27) of their first-half shots. MSU was 14-for-15 from the line in the first 20 minutes, while APSU did not attempt a free throw, committing 11 first-half fouls to MSU's six. Austin Peay out-rebounded the Lady Racers 12-11 in the first half, with Murray State claiming 10 defensive rebounds to APSU's nine.
APSU went on a 14-0 run early in the second half, vaulting from a 43-39 deficit to a 53-43 lead over a period of 5:34, ending at 11:38 in the second half. The Lady Govs held Murray State to 2-for-15 shooting (13.3 percent) over the first 10 minutes of the half.
Murray State got within 67-62 with 2:22 left in regulation, but APSU pushed back, using a 7-1 run after that to extend its lead en route to the 82-70 win.
"We came out and scored on the first couple of possessions in the second half, and then we struggled," said assistant coach Rob Cross. "When we needed a stop, Austin Peay would get an offensive rebound.
"We had a great game attack, but we didn't play well from the perimeter. We did a great job of getting to the line (29-for-33), but we only had four players score for us. The big difference was the rebounding and the three-point shooting."
Murray State was 1-for-14 from three-point range to APSU's 8-for-14. The Lady Govs out-rebounded MSU 36-22, with a 24-11 advantage in the second half.
Murray State was led by Scott, who had 32 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field and 12-for-15 from the line, garnering as many free throws as Austin Peay as a team. Scott also had a team-high seven rebounds -- six from the defensive end -- and a game-high two blocked shots.
Guffey added 16 points, going 11-for-12 from the line, making her 24-for-26 from the line in the last two games combined. Guffey had a game-high eight assists to one turnover.
Hayes put in 16 points, going 5-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. She also grabbed five rebounds, four from the defensive end, and had a co-game-high two steals.
Austin Peay was led by Alicia Watson, who had 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, 11 from the defensive end. She also had four assists for the Lady Govs.
Ashlee McGee added 13 points without missing a shot, going 3-for-3 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. She also had five rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
Amber Bacon also had 13 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the floor, to go with four assists.
Murray State travels to Jacksonville State for a Saturday 5 p.m. game. The Lady Racers then open a three-game homestand -- equaling the longest of the season -- against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday.
