CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Senior guard Kaitlyn Costner scored 16 points to lead the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball to a 72-58 win over Austin Peay in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener on Thursday night at F&M Bank Arena.
 
With the win, EKU (11-3, 1-0 ASUN) extends its longest winning streak since the 2004-05 season to 10 consecutive games.  The Colonels have won their ASUN Conference opener in three of their four seasons as a member institution in the league.
 
Costner led EKU with 16 points going 6-for-12 from the floor while dishing out four assists and bringing down four rebounds.  Four other Colonels ended with double figures in Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor (13), Liz Freihofer (11), Alice Recanati (10), and Althea Kara Angeles (10).  
 
As a team, the Colonels shot over 50 percent from the floor for the third time this season connecting on 28-of-54 shot attempts.  EKU also outrebounded Austin Peay by 11 boards and had assists on 15 possessions.
 
EKU's offensive output was started by Angeles who had made three pointers on back-to-back trips down the floor in the first four minutes of Sunday's win.  Following the threes, Recanati, McGinnis-Taylor, and Freihofer connected on made layups to give the Colonels a 16-11 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
In the second quarter, EKU forwards combined for 10 of the team's first 12 points and extended its largest lead of the first half to 11 points off a Costner made layup.  The Colonels went to the halftime break with a 35-27 lead over the Governors.
 
Despite cutting its deficit to just five points, Austin Peay (5-7, 0-1 ASUN) was never able to overcome the Colonels pressure on both ends of the floor and dropped the third and fourth quarters by 20-16 and 17-15 margins, respectively.
 
Underclassmen Freihofer, Mya Wardle, and Kailani Lindsey made impacts on both ends of the floor in the second half to advance EKU to a 72-58 win over the Govs for the first time since 2017 and to snap a 10-game losing streak against the Colonels long-time rival.  EKU moves to 50-41 all-time against Austin Peay with Sunday's victory.
 
EKU returns to action on Saturday against Lipscomb at 3 p.m. ET at Allen Arena in Nashville.  The game can be streamed live on ESPN+ or heard on 92.5 WEKY with Wes Chandler courtside on the call.