Lady Bulldogs to Battle Austin Peay in Thursday Matinee
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. --On Thursday, he Fisk University Lady Bulldogs will look to do something that they haven't done in about a month. That is to defeat a non-conference team. It will not be an easy task as they will travel to Clarksville, Tennessee to take on the Austin Peay State University Governors.
The Lady Bulldogs (6-6) have won three out of four games in the Gulf Coast Conference, but have dropped the last three non-conference games to UT Southern at home, and Lindsey Wilson and North Alabama in blowout losses on the road. The Governors (3-6) have lost two in a row. One of their three wins came in an upset of the University of Kentucky.
This week, NAIA Second Team All American Maya Buckhanon gobbled up three weekly awards. On Tuesday, she became the first Fisk athlete to receive a weekly national award since 2014, when she was named the NAIA Women's Basketball Player of the Week. She also received the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and the Gulf Coast Athletic Coherence player of the week honors.
Though they have been successful lately, Fisk has been dealing with an influx of turnovers. In their 67-44 victory over Talladega College, they committed 24 turnovers. In the final two games before the Christmas break, they are looking to shore up their ball handling.
"We need to get better with protecting the ball," said Fisk Head Coach Victoria Crawford. "Entry passes, transition and in our sets, we are making unforced errors. I would like to cut the mistakes in half. We have some great offensive rebounders so a miss is not necessarily a bad thing."
APSU boasts a balanced offensive attack led by Shamarre Hale who averages 13.3 points per contest. Abby Cater averages 10.4, Cur'Tiera Haywood 10.1 and Anala Nelson completes the Govs averaging in double figures at 10.0. Cater scored 27 points on 11-of-16 from the field the last time out against Murray State. Hale has been efficient when she is on the floor. Her 13.3 average comes at an impressive 18.3 minutes per game.
This will be only the second match-up between the two programs, with APSU winning on December 28, 1980, 69-40, also in Clarksville. Fisk Athletic Director played for the Lady Bulldogs in the game. She also played basketball and volleyball at Austin Peay. 
The WMG "Pick 2 Click" is Liz Gibbs. Gibbs transferred to Fisk from APSU.
Game 13: Fisk University (6-6) at Austin Peay State University (3-6)
Date/Time: Monday, December 11 | 5:30 p.m. (CST)
Watch: ESPN Plus
Location:
Crawford Charisma
Head coach Victoria Crawford has gained a lot of ground in the community after only being in Nashville for a little over a year. She put on a fundraising golf tournament this summer that was well attended. Crawford has crossed with some of the Who's Who of the Nashville scene, including Johari Matthews of the Tennessee Titans, politicians like Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood, State Representative Dr. Harold Love, and Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry. When she arrived to play at the University of Memphis, she followed Nashville Judge Rachel Bell there.
Maya's Many Accolades
Maya Buckhanon returns this season after being named to the NAIA All-American Second Team. Buckhanon was the GCAC Most Valuable and Defensive Player of the Year. So far this season, she has been named the GCAC Player of the Week three times, the TSWA Player of the Week twice, and this week she voted as the NAIA National Player of the Week.
Hanging With Coach Cooper
Last season, Anthony Cooper was named the GCAC Assistant Coach of the Year. Cooper is one of the hottest prospects around the country for a head coaching job.
Eliotti Excels
Junior Laila Eliotti has represented Fisk well on and off the court. The Computer Science major spent part of her last two summers in Seattle, Washington, interning with the Meta University Software Engineering Academy and Zillow.
Bibbity Bobbity Booming
Jayla Bibbs has been coming on as of late. Last week, she was named the GCAC Newcomer of the Week and has recorded double-digit in rebounds four of the last five games..
Zip, Fast and in a Hurry
Senior Zipporah Davis is the lone returner named to the GCAC all-preseason team. She is ranked second in returner scorers on the team at 9.3 ppg. Her quickness on the defensive end will also be depended upon for the Lady Bulldog's success this season.
Old Faces, Same Spaces
Some old faces are back on the court for Fisk. After taking a year off, junior post player De'Lesia Scott and classmate power forward Mya Robinson are back in uniform. They, along with A'NIya Young and Eliotti, were part of the Notorious Nine recruiting class of 2021.
NEXT UP:
The Lady Bulldogs will stay on the road for their final game before the Christmas break when they take on UT Southern on December 19.
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