By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — An early, 11-point lead wasn’t enough for App State’s women’s basketball team Thursday night (Jan. 4), as the visiting Texas State Bobcats defeated the Mountaineers, 67-58.
App State had just six point-scorers in their first matchup of 2024. Of those scorers, reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week Chaé Harris led the way with 16 points. Sophomore forward Rylan Moffitt earned a double-double, scoring 11 points to go along with her 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Alexis Black posted a career-best six steals.
For the Bobcats, graduate guard Ja’Niah Henson recorded a game-high 19 points, while guard Crystal Smith (15) and forward Morgan Hill (12) rounded out the team’s top scorers.
The first quarter was all App State. The Mountaineers opened with stifling defense, allowing just four points by the first media break while forcing seven Bobcat turnovers. App State held Texas State to another four points in the period, taking a 19-8 lead into the second quarter.
The next frame was where Texas State found their stride. The Bobcats weren’t able to come within seven points through the first six minutes of the period, but went on an 8-0 run to bring the game within a point. App State guard Faith Alston drained a three-pointer to stop the bleeding, but The Mountaineers’ 11-point, first quarter lead had all but vanished.
Back-and-forth scoring was the theme of the third period. Neither team was able to score more than four consecutive points. Despite trading blows, App State held their lead through the first eight minutes of the frame. With just under two minutes to the buzzer, though, Henson drained a jumper to give Texas State their first lead of the game. Striking back, App State responded with two quick makes of their own to take a three-point lead into the final quarter.
Things fell apart quickly for the Mountaineers in the fourth quarter. App State got into foul trouble early, putting the Bobcats into the bonus just over four minutes into the period. Texas State used the bonus to immediately go on a 7-0 run, giving the Bobcats a lead that they never gave up.
Senior guard Faith Alston shared her thoughts as to what went wrong for the Mountaineers, as well as what it will take to get back into the win column.
“We stopped playing us,” Alston said. “These are the times where we need to learn and we need to grow. We need to figure out how to put four quarters together.”
App State head coach Angel Elderkin echoed that thought post-game.
“I just don’t feel like we played our brand of basketball,” Elderkin said. “I’ll tip the cap to Texas State. They are a very good defensive team, but some of our mistakes today were self-made. They were ones that, you know, we did to ourselves.”
Elderkin explained the Mountaineers’ rough second quarter, and gave an insight on the locker room at halftime.
“We played a really good first quarter,” Elderkin said. “And then you look at the second quarter and it was 16-9. At that point, even though we go into halftime ahead, I don’t feel good about the game. I mean, at halftime, my speech was not nice. My speech was trying to motivate a group of players.”
Texas State was without Timia Jefferson, the second-leading Bobcat scorer, but had help filling that role through their bench. Elderkin credited Texas State for playing well despite missing a key player.
“I feel like, in so many ways, they flipped the script,” Elderkin said. “They were a woman down and they had a woman up. They had [Jefferson] not dressed, and then they had a couple role players that go for 12 and 15, and, you know, that’s what it takes to be good.”
As a team, Texas State shot 47%, compared to App State’s 29% mark. The Bobcats out-rebounded the Mountaineers, 45-37, but App State had the advantage on offensive rebounds, grabbing 16 to Texas State’s seven. They just didn’t get the second chance points you might expect from offensive rebounds. App State outscored Texas State in the paint, 30-26, but the Bobcats rode their 33 points off the bench to victory over the Mountaineers.
Texas State’s win marks their 10th on the season, including five of their last six. The Bobcats look to maintain their form Saturday (Jan. 6), as they travel to Atlanta for a matchup with Georgia State. Tipoff is set for 2:00p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
The Mountaineers’ play again on Saturday, Jan. 6, taking on South Alabama at the Holmes Convocation Center. The game can also be streamed on ESPN+, and is slated to tip-off at 2:00p.m.
