By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A fast start for Austin Peay made Saturday's game challenging for the Tennessee Tech women but the Golden Eagles were able to slice into the APSU lead. The Govs held on 71-61 to claim the last regular-season OVC meeting between the two teams.
Tech falls to 17-9 on the season, 12-4 in the conference. With a Murray State victory over UT Martin, the Racers and the Golden Eagles currently stand tied for the second-place spot in the league standings with two games remaining to play before the OVC Basketball Championships in Evansville, Ind.
Austin Peay drained four 3-pointers to open the game and take a 12-0 lead with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter and led by as much as 19-4 before the first quarter came to a close with Tech trailing 21-9.
Tech slimmed the deficit down to six points – 31-25 – with 14 seconds left in the opening half, but the Governors hit another 3-pointer before the buzzer sounded. The Golden Eagles couldn't get any closer than nine points back in the second half.
The Govs (18-8, 11-5 OVC) finished the game shooting 8-for-18 from 3-point range and 24-of-47 from the floor. They were also able to convert 13 Tech turnovers into 22 points.
Anna Jones led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, hitting five of her six free-throw tries. Her total pushed Jones past the 1,000-point mark in her career, making her the 34th Golden Eagle player to reach the milestone in their collegiate career. Anna Walker also scored in double figures, putting up 15 points, including a 6-for-6 effort at the charity stripe. Jones also had six rebounds.
Tech shot 18-for-49 from the floor, 5-for-14 from beyond the arc and 20-of-23 at the free-throw line.
Nina De Leon Negron led the Govs with 17 points, while Ella Sawyer had 15 and Lyric Cole and Karle Pace each scored 14. Cole and Sawyer pulled down eight rebounds each.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday as they host Tennessee State.