LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team will open Atlantic Sun Conference play this week with two games in Tennessee, as the Knights will debut against Austin Peay at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday and follow with a contest at Lipscomb at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Bellarmine will be facing two of the top-four teams in the ASUN preseason coaches' poll. Lipscomb was picked second and Austin Peay was selected fourth.

Austin Peay (7-7) finished nonconference play with six consecutive games at home, and the Governors will extend that to eight straight in F&M Bank Arena when they welcome Eastern Kentucky after Bellarmine. APSU is 4-4 at home, including Saturday's 53-44 win over Miami (Ohio).

Austin Peay grabbed attention early in the season with a 68-63 victory over Kentucky. Shamarre Hale was a Preseason All-ASUN selection after earning unanimous ASUN Sixth Player of the Year accolades last season. Hale is leading the team in scoring (11.7, 10th ASUN) and rebounding (6.2, eighth) and is coming off an 18-point performance against Miami.

Abby Cater (10.8) and Anala Nelson (10.6) are also scoring in double figures, Cur'Tiera Haywood (9.4) is close to double digits and Sandra Lin ranks third in the ASUN in assists (4.4). As a team, Austin Peay is leading the conference in field-goal percentage (46.8) and its defense ranks second in opponent field-goal percentage (38.8).

Lipscomb (7-6) will host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday ahead of its matchup with Bellarmine. The Bisons most recently defeated Tennessee Wesleyan 91-52 to move to 3-2 in Allen Arena this season. The game prior, Lipscomb also nearly knocked off Kentucky, holding a 13-point lead in the third quarter before the Wildcats commanded the fourth to pull out an 87-80 win.

A Preseason All-ASUN selection, Bella Vinson is Lipscomb's leading scorer and ranks ninth in the ASUN at 12.0 points per game. Aleah Sorrentino, another Preseason All-ASUN pick, is 12th in scoring (11.6) while ranking sixth in rebounding (6.4). Blythe Pearson (10.4 ppg) has made the third-most 3-pointers in the conference (33) for Lipscomb, which tops the league in 3-point percentage (34.0) while the Bisons' 112 made triples rank third.

Bellarmine (5-7) concluded nonconference play Saturday with a 70-66 home win over Ohio. In doing so, the Knights set a new Division I-era program record for nonconference victories with five despite being decimated by injuries to their frontcourt.

Sophomore guard Miyah Brown's strong all-around performance included 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Hayley Harrison notched 15 points and ranks fifth in the ASUN in scoring (14.4). Junior guard Hope Sivori dished out nine assists and ranks fourth in the conference in helpers (4.3). Senior guard Claire Knies chipped in 13 points, her sixth double-figure outing of the season.

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