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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Thursday's semifinal slate of the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Women's Basketball Tournament saw Austin Peay, Stetson, Jacksonville and Central Arkansas advance into the quarterfinal round.
#8 Austin Peay 45, #1 EKU 41
Austin Peay earned a 45–41 victory over top-seeded EKU on Thursday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. EKU jumped out to an early advantage, shooting 63.6 percent in the opening quarter and building a 17–8 lead after the first period. Austin Peay responded in the second quarter, outscoring the Colonels 13–8 to cut the deficit to 25–21 at halftime. The Governors continued their momentum after the break, holding EKU to just six points in the third quarter while putting together a 14-point frame to take their first lead of the contest. Anovia Sheals led the Govs with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Jim’Miyah Branton added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Govs generated much of their offense inside, scoring 38 points in the paint and converting 17 points off turnovers. EKU was led by Kenleigh Woods with 10 points, while Ndidiamaka Ndukwe contributed nine points and Joseana Vaz added five points with nine rebounds. Despite leading for more than 26 minutes, the Colonels struggled offensively late, finishing the game shooting 29.4 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from three-point range. Austin Peay closed the game by limiting EKU to just three field goals in the fourth quarter to secure the four-point win. The Governors finished the contest shooting 33.3 percent from the field.
#4 Stetson 70, #5 FGCU 63
Stetson pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat FGCU, 70–63, on Thursday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The Hatters started strong, shooting 58.3 percent in the opening quarter and taking an 18–15 lead after the first 10 minutes. Stetson added 10 points in the second period to carry a narrow 28–27 advantage into halftime. FGCU responded in the third quarter, outscoring Stetson 24–20 to take a 51–48 lead heading into the final frame. The Eagles’ surge set up a tight finish with multiple lead changes down the stretch. Stetson delivered its best quarter in the fourth, scoring 22 points while holding FGCU to 12 to secure the seven-point victory. The Hatters closed the game with a 9–0 run in the final minutes and sealed the win at the free throw line. Mary McMillan led Stetson with 28 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, converting 10-of-10 free throws in the final period. Cameron Thomas added seven points in the fourth as the Hatters pulled away late. As a team, Stetson shot 40 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range while knocking down 19-of-22 free throws. FGCU finished the game shooting 38 percent from the floor and 61 percent from the free throw line. The Hatters also generated nine fast break points and eight second-chance points in the win. This marks the first time FGCU will not compete in the tournament finals since 2015.
#2 Jacksonville 86, #7 West Georgia 77
Jacksonville earned an 86–77 victory over West Georgia in the third game of the quarterfinal slate. The Dolphins built an early advantage in the opening quarter, shooting 52.6 percent from the field to take a 25–13 lead after the first 10 minutes. Jacksonville continued to control the pace in the second quarter, adding 16 points to extend the margin to 41–28 at halftime. West Georgia closed the gap in the third quarter, outscoring Jacksonville 20–15 to trim the deficit to eight points entering the final period at 56–48. Jacksonville responded in the fourth quarter with 30 points to hold off the Wolves and secure the nine-point win. The Dolphins converted 19-of-24 free throws in the final period to maintain their lead down the stretch. Mariah Knight led Jacksonville with 11 first-half points, including three three-pointers, while Makiya Miller added 10 points in the opening half. Carmaya Bowman contributed eight points and eight rebounds during the early stages of the game. As a team, Jacksonville shot 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range, and 74 percent from the free throw line while totaling 30 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points and eight fast break points. West Georgia finished the contest shooting 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range while recording 30 points in the paint and 16 second-chance points. With the win, Jacksonville led from start to finish and never trailed in the contest.
#3 Central Arkansas 67, #6 North Alabama 56
North Alabama opened the game with a strong first quarter, taking a 20–14 lead after the opening period. The Lions maintained the advantage through much of the second quarter before Central Arkansas closed the gap, outscoring North Alabama 19–17 in the frame to trail 37–33 at halftime. Central Arkansas took control after the break, limiting North Alabama to just nine points in the third quarter while scoring 15 to take a 48–46 lead into the final period. The Bears continued their momentum in the fourth quarter, shooting 64.3 percent from the field and scoring 19 points while holding the Lions to 10 to secure the 11-point victory. As a team, Central Arkansas shot 44 percent from the field, including 48 percent from inside the arc, and converted 7-of-9 free throws. The Bears also totaled 28 points in the paint and received 33 points from their bench. North Alabama finished the game shooting 35 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range while recording 20 points in the paint and 11 second-chance points.
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