CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay's starting five teamed up for 63 points and the Lady Govs shot 52 percent from the field in the second half on the way to defeating Eastern Illinois women's basketball, 65-55, Saturday evening.

The loss snapped the Panthers' six-game winning streak in OVC road games.

Eastern (4-4, 1-1 OVC) never led in the game. On four occasions, EIU pulled within a single point, but Austin Peay (3-5, 2-0 OVC) scored next every time.

The Panthers shot only 34 percent from the field. Every EIU player that saw action scored, but Maggie Kloak (10 points) was the lone Panther to finish in double figures. Ta'Kenya Nixon and Chantelle Pressley both had nine points.

 

“Our shooting had nothing to do with it,” EIU head coach Brady Sallee said. “They played way harder than we did and beat us in every category. Hustle plays, all the intangibles that it takes to be a good basketball team, they absolutely smoked us in.”

 

Brooke Faulkner led all scorers with a career-high 20 points and Whitney Hanley finished with 15. They entered the night averaging a combined 13.7 points per game. Both players connected on a trio of 3-pointers. Nicole Jamen played 39 minutes and finished with a 12-point, 17-rebound double-double.

 

Eastern had the edge in points in the paint (24-12), points off turnovers (17-8) and bench scoring (16-2) but was outscored 21-6 from 3-point land.

 

Austin Peay used runs of 9-1 and 11-5 to maintain control of the game in the second half. The 9-1 spurt came after EIU made it a 32-31 game at the 17:13 mark.

 

After being down by 10, back-to-back baskets from Pressley and Kloak cut it a 54-48 deficit. But Hanley connected on a 3-pointer for APSU and it led to the 11-5 run that put the game away.

 

The Lady Govs made three 3-pointers in the first seven minutes and 15 seconds to jump out to a 16-9 lead. Eastern cut it to two three and half minutes later, but APSU got a basket from Jamen on its next possession.

 

Down by seven again, Nixon scored five straight EIU points to make it a one-possession game. Moments later, Faulkner answered with a 3-pointer after the Panthers. Hanley scored in the final seconds of the half to give her team a three-point lead going to the locker room.

Eastern returns to action Wednesday when Western Michigan visits Lantz Arena for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. Ohio Valley Conference play resumes Jan. 2.