2022 OVC Women's Basketball Championship - Quarterfinals

3/3/2022 8:56:55 AM

#4 AUSTIN PEAY 67, #8 TENNESSEE STATE 53
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - For the first time since 2012, the Austin Peay State University women's basketball team picked up a win at the Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Championship, snapping an eight-game drought with a 67-53 win over No. 8 Tennessee, Thursday, at the Ford Center.

Austin Peay (19-10, 11-7 OVC) was led in scoring by Yamia Johnson, who scored a game-high 17 points off the bench. D'Shara Booker also came off the bench for the Governors and posted a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The Governors built a 3-0 lead in the first 1:25 of the game with all three points coming at the free-throw line. But Tennessee State (12-19, 6-12 OVC) answered with a 9-0 run and took a six-point lead with 4:48 left in the first half. The Govs halted the Lady Tiger's run with three more free throws, but Tatyana Davis gave Tennessee State its biggest lead of the game when she scored the first two of her team-high 17 points to go ahead 13-6 with 3:22 let in the opening period.

The Davis bucket was the final points of the first quarter for Tennessee State, with Booker coming off the bench to score her first bucket and kick start a 7-0 quarter-closing run for the Govs. After the Booker layup, Johnson hit a three-pointer and go to the rim for a layup, tieing the game, 13-13, at the end of one.

Austin Peay started the second quarter by turning its 7-0 run into a 17-0 run, with Johnson and Shay-Lee Kirby drilling triples on the first two possessions of the period to jump-start things. With 6:42 left before the half, Booker capped off the 17-0 run with a layup that gave the Governors a 23-13 lead.

OVC Freshman of the Year Gia Adams halted the Austin Peay run with a layup at the 6:16 mark in the second period and Tennessee State went on a quick 5-2 run to bring the Govs back within seven points, 25-18. But that was as close as Tennessee State would get for the remainder of the game, with Booker quickly scoring five unanswered points to stretch the lead back to a dozen, 30-18.

The Lady Tigers trimmed the Austin Peay advantage to nine points with 1:01 left on the clock, but Nina De Leon Negron wrapped up the first-half scoring with a layup to put the Govs ahead, 36-25, and stretch the lead back to double-digits, where it would stay for the remainder of the contest.

The Governors opened the second half on a 6-0 run, quickly building a 17-point, 42-25, advantage at the 8:00 mark in the third quarter. With 2:21 left in the third period, Johnson pushed the Govs lead to 20 points, 48-28, for the first time in the contests with a pair of free throws. Then it was four-straight points from De Leon Negron that gave Austin Peay a 52-28 lead with just 1:25 left in the third. But the Lady Tigers scored the final four points of the frame and the Govs led, 52-32, with 10 minutes of basketball left.

A Karle Pace three-pointer and a pair of Johnson free throws made up a quick 5-0 run to open the final period and gave Austin Peay its biggest lead of the game, 57-32, with 8:13 left to play. But an untimely cold spell struck the Governors and Tennessee State was able to trim the lead to just 10 points, 63-53, with 36 seconds left in the game. However, the Lady Tigers were unable to get the lead back within single digits and Pace knocked down four-straight free throws to close the game and give Austin Peay a 14-point victory.

The Austin Peay bench. Yamia Johnson and D'Shara Booker combined for 30 points off the bench and the Govs reserves outscored the Tennessee State bench, 33-6. Booker also grabbed a team-leading 10 rebounds off the bench and Kasey Kidwell led the Govs with three assists off the bench in just 10:39 of action.

Tennessee State's Tatyana Davis led the team wtih 17 points while Adams added 15.

#3 MURRAY STATE 84, #7 SIUE 76
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - OVC Player of the Year Katelyn Young scored 25 points and had nine rebounds while Hannah McKay added 21 and 10 as Murray State topped SIUE 84-76 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 OVC Women's Basketball Championship.

The Racers advance to play No. 1 seed Belmont on Friday in the semifinals. MSU lost to the Bruins in last year's OVC semifinals.

Murray State shot 50.8 percent from the field and were nearly perfect (19-of-20) from the free throw line.

SIUE, in its first year under head coach Samantha Quigley Smith, managed just 5-of-16 from 3-point range on Thursday.

The Cougars were paced by 24 points from Mikayla Kinnard while Gabby Nikitnaite added 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting.