On Feb. 13, 2020 the APSU women’s basketball team (14-10) faced off against the Mu**ay State Racers (11-13) in what was a close game.
With both teams in the lower half of the Ohio Valley Conference, neither could afford a loss if they were to have any hopes for a tournament ticket.
The Racers started the game out hot with an 11-2 run before the governors got their second pair of free throws to fall making it 11-4.
The Governors had also got into some early foul trouble with five team fouls before the halfway point of the first period. Neither team got out to a great start, only 13-16 to start the second quarter; Mu**ay State on top.
The second period came with more defensive woes for APSU, as the Racers stretched their lead to 10 which would go on to be the largest of the half.
Laci Hawthorne for Mu**ay torched the Govs’ defense with 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists. One of the bright spots for APSU was Brandi Ferby with 13 first half points alongside three rebounds, one assist and a steal.
Starting the second half, both teams traded points, but the Racers still held on to the lead. The story of the game at this point had been missed layups by APSU; going 12-42 inside the 3-point line.
By the end of the third, the Govs had cut the Mu**ay State lead to just 3 after 4-11 shooting from the floor.
In the first three minutes of the final period, the Governors took their first lead with a three-pointer by Maggie Knowles to make the score 50-51. After the game head coach David Midlick commented on Knowles’ shot.
“She always gets off shots that motivate the team and keep their momentum up,” Midlick said.
As the game clock winded down, so did the Racers’ chances of winning.
With smothering full-court defense and some much-needed three pointers, the APSU women pulled away and finished out the game with a few free throw shots. The final score was 69-61.
Brandi Ferby spearheaded the Governors offensively, scoring 20 on the evening. That mark sets a new career high for the junior and is 14 points above her current season average.
“I didn’t even know I had that many points, to be honest,” Ferby said on her performance. “My girls got me open a lot and getting some good drives to the bucket helped out too.”
Everything had to fall in place tonight for APSU to come away with a win, and for them, it did.
The Govs now move to seventh in the OVC standings. Their next game will be at home against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, February 15th at 1:30 p.m.
