By Zach Smith. BOONE N.C. – Career nights from multiple Mountaineers propelled the App State women’s basketball team over College of Charleston, 77-73. The Dec. 5 matchup was the first part of an App State basketball doubleheader as the men’s team played Central Penn later in the night.
The Mountaineers were led by junior Emily Carver and senior Faith Alston, who combined for 48 points. Carver’s 28-point performance marked a new career-high, topping her 27-point night against Coastal Carolina last season. Sophomore Rylan Moffitt grabbed 17 rebounds, also a career high.
App State started hot, quickly going on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes of play. They would go on another run later in the opening quarter, scoring the final 10 points of the period. App State hit at a 50 percent clip from the field through the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter wasn’t as successful. Charleston outscored App State, 18-11, featuring a 15-3 run over the final 4:20 of the half. The Mountaineers did not score from the field over the final 8:31 before the break. Despite the limited second quarter scoring, App State took a 38-32 lead into the locker room at intermission.
I like to win.
App State head coach Angel Elderkin shared what she said to the team at halftime.
“I talk to our team all the time about ‘… there’s the ceiling, and then there’s the floor,’” Elderkin said. “Sometimes our ceiling, it can be really high. But then I also know that the floor is low. When we don’t take good shots and we don’t defend and we don’t run our offense, we have these 11-point quarters, these 10-point quarters, and they’re gonna kill us.”
The third quarter was where Carver came alive. The junior guard scored 21 of App State’s 29 points in the quarter, including each of the Mountaineers’ final eight. Carver hit on all but one of her shots from the field in the third frame. App State shot 56.3% as a team in the period, outscoring the Cougars, 29-19.
The fourth quarter was similar to the second. App State shot just 21.4% over the final 10 minutes, as the Cougars mounted a late-game comeback. The rally narrowed a 16-point Charleston to just three points, but a Carver free-throw with seven seconds made it a two possession game and secured the win for the Mountaineers.
Elderkin spoke on what it means to have veteran guards Alston and Carver on the team.
“It’s been awesome, they’ve been with me. Faith [Alston] is on her fourth year, Emily [Carver] is on her third year,” Elderkin said. “Those are kids that I recruited at a young age, I know their families, I know them. Faith is like a coach on the floor, she’s unbelievable. Emily has an incredible will to win.”
Carver’s contribution on the court resulted in a career-high in points, but she explained that it wouldn’t have meant as much if the Mountaineers had not pulled out the win.
“I like winning,” Carver said. “I mean, if I would have got the career-high and we would have lost, it would have still hurt. I like to win.”
App State’s victory snapped Charleston’s four-game win streak and dropped the Cougars to a 5-2 record. Charleston’s next matchup will be a home test against Jacksonville State. The Dec. 11 matchup will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and can be streamed on FloHoops.
The Mountaineers move to 5-2 with the win and look to continue their success on a three-game road trip. Their first test is a matchup at Richmond Dec. 10 with tipoff set for 2:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The App State women close out the road trip with a Dec. 15 tilt at Gardner Webb (Boiling Springs, N.C.), then a quick trip to Milwaukee, Wis., to face Marquette.
KEY APP STATE PERFORMANCES
- Emily Carver: 28 points, 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shots, 3 steals
- Rylan Moffitt: 17 rebounds, 8 points, 3 assists, 4 blocked shots
- Faith Alston: 20 points, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot, 4 steals
- J’Mani Ingram: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Team Comparison
| FG% | 37% | 37% | |
| FGs | 23-62 | 25-68 | |
| 3FG% | 30% | 32% | |
| 3FGs | 3-10 | 7-22 | |
| FT% | 75% | 65% | |
| FTs | 24-32 | 20-31 | |
| TOs | 22 | 18 | |
| PtsOffTO | 16 | 25 | |
| TotReb | 47 | 44 | |
| DefReb | 31 | 26 | |
| Off Reb | 16 | 18 | |
| 2ndChPts | 8 | 16 | |
| BenchPts | 19 | 11 | |
| PtsPaint | 28 | 32 | |
| FstBkPt | 8 | 12 | |
| Blocks | 3 | 6 | |
| Steals | 11 | 10 | |
| Assts | 6 | 11 | |
| Times Tied: | 1 | ||
| Time Tied: | 0:40 | ||
| Lead Chg: | 0 | ||
| LeadTime | 0:00 | 39:20 | |
