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Austin Peay Lady Govs
RECORD: 23 - 7
REGION: West SEED: 13
COACH: Andy Blackston CONFERENCE: OVC |
RESULTS
| MESSAGE BOARD
Road to the Final Four ...................................................................................
| PREVIOUS GAMES |
| OPPONENT |
ROUND |
RESULT |
| LSU |
1st Round |
L 83 - 66 |
| PLAYER TO WATCH |
Gerlonda Hardin
The 6-foot-1 senior forward averages a team-high 18.6 points and 2.0 blocks while ranking second in rebounds at 8.8 per game. While Hardin shoots 61.3 percent from the field, don't expect her to stray too far out. She has taken 357 shots this season -- but not a single 3-pointer. The two-time Ohio Valley tournament MVP tallied seven straight double-doubles from Jan. 22-Feb. 12. Hardin has been held to single-digit scoring in only four games. She shoots 68 percent at the charity stripe and gets to the line six times a game.
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ANALYSIS BY ESPN'S STACEY DALES-SCHUMAN
 It's official. The Austin Peay women have obtained yet another conference tournament championship, their fourth consecutive to be exact.
Just keep in mind that coach Andy Blackston's club was one of those teams in last year's tourney that fell two points short of sliding into the glass slipper against the second-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. This year, it's safe to say that the Lady Govs are searching for a little bit of redemption.
Austin Peay is led by Gerlonda Hardin, a senior and a physical force inside. With 13 double-doubles already and a nationally recognized 61 percent field-goal average, Hardin also powers up for almost nine boards.
Supporting her in the scoring column is sophomore guard Kera Bergeron, who accounts for 12 points. But it's her range that means most. Bergeron gives an average distance shooting team a 38 percent stroke from beyond the arc -- and she attempts nine treys per contest! The inside/outside punch of these two players alone provides some added offensive balance.
With just 10 active players, it might appear that the Lady Govs are lacking depth, especially since they get just 11 to 13 points off their bench. However, what they don't get in scoring they make up for in defense. Austin Peay leads the entire conference with a solid scoring defense that holds rivals to 62 points and just 37 percent accuracy from the field.
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