Category: College

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Turnovers and points allowed off turnovers proved to be Appalachian State’s Achilles heel on Feb. 2, losing to Marshall, 66-58, in the Holmes Convocation Center in front of 2,685 midweek basketball fans.

The Thundering Herd came into the game averaging 81.7 points in offense across all Sun Belt opponents, so the Mountaineers achieved a measure of success in limiting Marshall to 15 fewer than their average in offensive production. App State head coach Dustin Kerns explained after the game that the defensive game plan was to focus on one of Marshall’s three big scorers, Taevion Kinsey, Andrew Taylor, and Kamdyn Curfman.

“Kinsey and Taylor are the leading scoring combo in the country,” Kerns pointed out. “So our game plan wasn’t necessarily against them, it was more about Curfman, Micah Handlogten and Obinna Anochili-Killen. Kinsey and Taylor have gotten their points against every team this season, non-conference or conference, they are going to get their shots and their points. We really felt like Curfman would be the X factor. And I thought we did a good job on him. The two 3-points that he made were in transition and if we look back, maybe off of our turnovers. And I thought we made Kinsey and Taylor earn their stuff.”

Much of the Marshall team’s difference in average points scored coming into the game and what they scored against App State is probably explained by the Mountaineer defensive scheme vs. Curfman. He came into the game average 13.3 points per Sun Belt game and only managed 8 points against the Mountaineers in this one.

“We guarded some guys differently and we guarded some of their actions differently,” Kerns said. “In the first game at Marshall we did a lot of switching. Tonight we did not. I thought our zone (defense) was effective, at least for awhile.”

At times, it may have seemed that the App State offense lacked a sense of urgency, running down the shot clock to near zero before making a move to the basket or lofting a shot from long range. It turns out, as Kerns explained, that the offensive pace was intentional.

“We were wanting to control the tempo and we wanted them to have to guard,” said Kerns. “I think Marshall is ranked 300 and something in Division I in how much time they play defense. They are try to speed you up and get you to take a quick shot so they can go down and play offense again.

“We (controlled) the tempo,” added Kerns. “We did some really good things, but we just turned the ball over too much… We picked a bad night to have a bad night, especially on the offensive end, not like we have doing (in recent games). I feel like 66 points, defensively, should be enough to beat those guys but, like I said, 13 turnovers and 19 points off of them, that is easy offense for them.”

A common thread between the 79-53 loss to Marshall in Huntington, W.V. on Dec. 29 and the narrower defeat on Thursday night was the Thundering Herd’s performance in offensive rebounding. They pulled down 14 on the offensive end in the late December contest and 13 just over a month later. So in addition to the quick scoring opportunities provided by the Mountaineer turnovers, Marshall’s propensity to clear offensive rebounds led to 15 second chance points.

Next up for App State is a rematch with James Madison, on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Holmes Center, with a scheduled 4 p.m. tipoff.

“I told our guys we needed to just move on from tonight’s loss and get ready for the next game. I imagine James Madison will be seeing red when they come in here on Saturday since we beat them up there on Jan. 7,” said Kerns.

The Dukes come to Boone with a 16-8 overall record, 7-4 in Sun Belt Conference play. With the loss, App State falls to 13-11 overall, 6-5 vs. Sun Belt opponents.

SELECTED KEY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

• MAR Andrew Taylor: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
• MAR Taevion Kinsey: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
• MAR Micah Handlogten: 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocked shots
• APP Justin Abson: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal
• APP Terence Harcum: 14 points, 1 steak
• APP C J Huntley: 7 rebounds, 7 points, 1 blocked shot
• APP Donovan Gregory: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Field Goal %: APP 39% (22-56), MAR 35.5% (22-62)
• 3-Point %: APP 31.6% (6-19), MAR 25.0% (7-28)
• Free Throws: APP 61.5% (8-13), MAR 83.3% (15-18)
• Turnovers: APP 13, MAR 10
• Points off Turnovers: APP 9, MAR 19
• Second Chance Points: APP 6, MAR 15
• Points from Fast Breaks: APP 4, MAR 14
• Bench Points: APP 7, MAR 14
• Points in the Paint: APP 26, MAR 24
• Biggest Lead: APP 2, MAR 10
• Best Scoring Run: APP 8, MAR 11
• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 2
• Time With Lead: APP 00:32, MAR 36:46

 

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — No. 19 App State took eight of 10 matches Jan. 30, and posted a 32-6 win at Gardner-Webb to remain unbeaten in Southern Conference wrestling duals.

The Mountaineers (8-2, 4-0) are one of three SoCon teams without a league loss, joined by annual contenders Chattanooga and Campbell, who are also 4-0 in the league. App State hosts Chattanooga on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. and then hosts Campbell to open a SoCon tripleheader in Varsity Gym on Sunday, Feb. 19.

In addition to a six-point win by forfeit for Jon Jon Millner at 149 pounds, the Mountaineers received bonus points in victories at 125, 157 and 174 pounds. In the only matchup of ranked wrestlers, 26th-ranked Will Formato won a 2-1 decision against 24th-ranked RJ Mosley in their seventh career meeting.

After a scoreless first period between the fourth-year starters, Formato stayed on top for the first 1:10 of the second period before allowing an escape. Formato needed only seven seconds to post a tying escape to begin the third period, and by maintaining more than a minute advantage in riding time, the lack of any third-period takedowns gave him the bonus point for a 2-1 victory.

Caleb Smith gave up the first takedown against Drew West, who had a 7-0 dual record. Smith turned a 3-2 lead entering the third into a 16-4 major decision against the Bulldogs (4-8, 2-2).

Ethan Oakley also allowed the first takedown at 133, but he used a takedown with 47 seconds left in the second period to break a 2-2 tie in his 8-3 win against Todd Carter, who was 6-1 in duals.

After Gardner-Webb pulled out a 3-2 win at 141 and the forfeit at 149, Tommy Askey recorded nine takedowns in a 23-7 tech fall at 157. Formato’s tight win pushed the lead to 21-3, and Will Miller had nine more takedowns in his 22-7 tech fall at 174.

Gardner-Webb’s Jha’Quan Anderson, previously an NCAA qualifier, used a Sudden Victory takedown to win a 3-1 overtime decision at 184, but App State’s Carson Floyd followed that with a 6-2 decision at 197. The score was tied at 2-2 entering the third against Sam Mora, but Floyd had 2:13 in riding time, and his takedown with 1:09 left created helpful separation.

Making his third career dual start at heavyweight, and coming off a title at this past weekend’s Appalachian Open, Jacob Sartorio built a 7-0 lead in his 7-2 win to close the dual.

The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station. App State has its highest-ever ranking in the NWCA Coaches. It has been as high as No. 16 in InterMat’s rankings, back in 2016-17.

No. 19 App State 32, Gardner-Webb 6

• • 125: #11 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Drew West (GWU), 16-4 maj. dec.
  • 133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Todd Carter (GWU), 8-3 dec.
  • 141: Zach Price (GWU) def. Heath Gonyer (APP), 3-2 dec.
  • 149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) won by forfeit
  • 157: #28 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Tyler Brignola (GWU), 23-7 tech fall
  • 165: #26 Will Formato (APP) def. #24 RJ Mosley (GWU), 2-1 dec.
  • 174: #27 Will Miller (APP) def. Andrew Wilson (GWU), 22-7 tech fall
  • 184: Jha’Quan Anderson (GWU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 3-1 dec (SV)
  • 197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Sam Mora (GWU), 6-2 dec.
  • Hwt: Jacob Sartorio (APP) def. Abraham Preston (GWU), 7-2 dec.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Balanced. That seems a good descriptor for the Appalachian State men’s basketball team’s 63-51 win over Arkansas State on Jan. 28.

It was the Mountaineers’ third straight victory over a Sun Belt Conference foe, following earlier recent wins over Old Dominion and Georgia State, and they did it in front of 3,487 fans at the Holmes Convocation Center.

Even more remarkable is that App State won vs. Georgia State on Jan. 26 and against Arkansas State two days later from start to finish. According to the school’s strategic communications statisticians, the Mountaineers have not trailed for the last 113 minutes of court time, dating back to their win over the Monarchs of Old Dominion. Against Arkansas State, the Mountaineers were tied with the Red Wolves for just the first 30 seconds of play before 6-11 junior forward C J Huntley drew first blood for the Mountaineers with a 3-pointer, the first of his 10 first half points.

“I am proud of our guys for this weekend, leading for 80 minutes (across two full games) in Sun Belt Conference play, which is really hard to do,” said App State head coach Dustin Kerns in opening his post-game press conference with media. “I thought we were really tough. We got some big stops down the stretch and extended our run. Thirteen assists vs. only eight turnovers was big. We had a lot of balance. Overall, it was a great win.”

Kerns noted that Arkansas State is one of the top teams in the Sun Belt in defending against 3-point shots, which at least in part explains why the Mountaineers only had 14 attempts from behind the arc compared to a season average closer to 25 attempts.

“It is just the way it played out,” said Kerns, noting that the reduced number of long distance attempts was not intentional.

Sophomore guard Terence Harcum was slow getting started, going 1-for-6 from the field in the first half before hitting on 5-for-8 after intermission. He finished with a game-high 15 points on the night.

Huntley and freshman forward Justin Abson arguably had the most balanced individual performances against the Red Wolves. Huntley tallied 13 points and 9 rebounds. He was good on 4-of-5 shots from the field, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and made 3-of-4 attempts from the charity stripe, with three blocked shots.

Abson was also in double figures with an even 10 points, while collecting 7 rebounds. The freshman also had three blocked shots, bringing his total to 50 blocks for the season and moving him up into a tie for 11th place, nationally.

According to the NCAA website, out of 352 Division I basketball programs, App State is No. 41 in the average number of bench points scored per game through Jan. 27 results, averaging 25.91. Only Coastal Carolina, at No. 39 (25.95) is ranked higher in the Sun Belt. It is a statistic that speaks volumes to the Mountaineers’ productivity from the non-starters.

Through the Jan. 28 results and in Sun Belt Conference games only, the 6-4 Mountaineers are No. 7 in scoring, averaging 67.0 points per game, and No. 3 in scoring defense, allowing just 65.2 points per game.

App State’s next opponent (Thursday, Feb. 3), Marshall, is the Sun Belt’s scoring leader, averaging 81.7 points per game.

At 6-4 in conference, the Mountaineers are now tied for No. 4 in the league standings with James Madison and Louisiana-Monroe, behind Southern Miss and Louisiana (8-2) and Marshall (7-3).

OTHER GAME NOTES OF INTEREST

• App State held an opponent to under 60 points for the fourth time in the last five games.
• Mountaineer freshman Justin Abson has blocked three or more opponents’ shots in 11 of his first 23 collegiate games.
• App State’s 12 fouls lowered its previous season average of 14, which is in the nation’s “top 20” for the fewest fouls.

SELECTED KEY PERFORMANCES

• APP – C J Huntley: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocked shots
• APP – Terence Harcum: 15 points, 2 steals
• APP – Justin Abson: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocked shots
• APP – Donovan Gregory: 6 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
• APP – Christopher Mantis: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
• APP – Tamell Pearson: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot
• ARK – Omar El-Sheikh: 14 points, 10 rebounds
• ARK – Avery Felts: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
• ARK – Julian Lual: 10 points, 3 rebounds
• ARK – Markise Davis: 7 points, 1 blocked shot
• ARK – Caleb Fields: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 blocked shot

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a tale of two basketball teams. One couldn’t miss. The other couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.

That is the way it was, at least in the first half on Jan. 26 when Appalachian State men’s basketball jumped out to a 42-27 halftime lead, then maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half to win, 71-59.

Appalachian State never trailed in this game, played before an announced attendance of 2,559 at the Holmes Convocation Center. The Mountaineers jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the opening minutes and let the Panthers pull to within three points (11-8) with just under 14 minutes remaining in the first half, then went on a 15-2 run from which Georgia State could never recover. On the run, the Mountaineer scoring came from all corners, including buckets by Christopher Mantis, Terence Harcum, Donovan Gregory and Dibaji Walker. There were 3-pointers from long range, pullup and stepback jumpers, driving layups… the Mountaineers couldn’t seem to miss on every opportunity.

Technically, Georgia State “won” the second half, 32-29, but there were still few hiccups in the App State offensive effort nor in their disruptive defensive play.

For the game, almost a third (30 percent) of Appalachian’s points came from behind the 3-point arc. Eleven percent of the points came on the team’s whopping eight slam dunks. And 37 percent of the Mountaineer points came from inside the paint, while 23 percent were contributed by Mantis and Walker coming off the bench.

Harcum’s 21 points earned game-high scoring honors, with heady contributions from Donovan Gregory (16), Mantis (14), and Xavion Brown (8).

Brown tied with two Panther players for game-high honors in rebounds, with eight, but five of those were offensive boards that gave the Mountaineers valuable second chance opportunities — and they recorded 15 second chance points. App State also got strong rebounding efforts from Gregory (7), C J Huntley (7), Justin Abson (5), and Harcum (5).

True to his season form, Abson blocked four Georgia State shots. The freshman now has 47 for the season, good enough for No. 4 in the Sun Belt Conference when calculating from all games played. Thursday night’s four blocks by Abson should move the freshman up the NCAA Division I leaderboard from No. 18 to No. 14 when all games nationally are entered into the database.

At 5-4 in Sun Belt Conference play and 12-10 overall, the Mountaineers are in a four-way tie for fifth place in the standings. Also at 5-4 are Georgia Southern, James Madison and Troy. At 7-2 in conference play, Southern Miss and Louisiana are tied at the top, while Marshall and Louisiana-Monroe, both 6-3, are knotted in third place.

Closing in on the end of the regular season, App State has nine games remaining, including the next three home games against Arkansas State (Jan. 28), Marshall (Feb. 2) and James Madison (Feb. 4). After that, four of the next six contests are on the road.

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Field goal %: GSU 44% (25-57), APP 46% (24-52)
• 3-Point FG %: GSU 25% (5-20), APP 37% (7-19)
• FT%: GSU 57% (5-7), APP 67% (16-24)
• Turnovers: GSU 12, APP 12
• Total Rebounds: GSU 28, APP 37
• 2nd Chance Points: GSU 11, APP 15
• Bench Points: GSU 8, APP 16
• Points in Paint: GSU 36, APP 26
• Fast Break Points: GSU 11, APP 5
• Blocks: GSU 3, APP 4
• Steals: GSU 8, APP 8
• Assists: GSU 7, APP 10

KEY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS

• APP – Donovan Gregory 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals
• APP – Xavion Brown 8 points, 8 rebounds
• APP – Terence Harcum 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
• APP – Christopher Mantis 14 points
• GSU – Jamaine Mann 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• GSU – Brendan Tucker 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• GSU – Ja’heim Hudson 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
• GSU – Collin Moore 10 points, 3 assists, 3 steals

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Putting the pedal to the metal and not letting up until the end was a goal for Appalachian State Wrestling against Duke University on Jan. 24. Mission accomplished.

Winning the first five matches by fall, technical fall, major decision, or by a comfortable margin established ample momentum for the Mountaineers to secure a dominating, 42-3 win in the team’s last non-conference dual meet of the 2022-23 season. The win against Duke is App State’s fourth encounter with an ACC team this season, the others being a win over then-No. 21 North Carolina and competitive losses against No. 7 Virginia Tech and No. 8 North Carolina State. Those ACC defeats are the only dual meet losses of the season for the Mountaineers, who improve to 7-2 on the season with their Tuesday night pounding of Duke.

Calling Grandma and praying with her before every wrestling match, then “dancing to get loose,” as 125-pounder Caleb Smith described his pre-match routine is proving to be pretty effective for the Appalachian State redshirt sophomore, currently ranked No. 11 in the nation. It took Smith less than five minutes to dispatch Duke University freshman Ethan Grimminger, pinning him in 4:40 and set the tone for his teammates to follow.

Stepping in at 133 lbs. was redshirt freshman Ethan Oakley, who mastered Duke’s Logan Agin with a 13-3 major decision.

In one of only three relatively close matches of the evening, sophomore Heath Gonyer worked his way past Duke graduate student Jarred Papcsy to earn a 5-1 decision.

Now a redshirt senior, No. 9-ranked Jon Jon Millner showed little mercy at 149 lbs., defeating the Blue Devils’ Patrick Rowland, 21-4, by technical fall.

The 157 lb. class was the last match before intermission and saw sophomore Tommy Askey, ranked No. 28 in the nation, pin his Duke opponent, Logan Ferrero, in just 3:31.

For the overflow crowd of nearly 1,000 collegiate wrestling fans in attendance, intermission was about entertainment — three different youth dance groups — and honor, as several members of the App State faculty were recognized as supporters of App State Wrestling, each nominated by individual members of the App State team.

After the break, the Mountaineers picked up right where they left off. It began with No. 26-ranked Will Formato’s 13-0 major decision over the Blue Devils’ redshirt senior Gabe Dinette at 165 lbs., before sophomore Will Miller (ranked No. 27) won by forfeit at 174 lbs.

Then, in a battle of “Lukes,” Luke Ulliano defeated Duke’s Luke Chakonis at 184 lbs., an 11-1 major decision. Having a little fun, what started as a sort of murmur evolved into more of a roar as they started chanting, “Let’s go Luke!”

At 197-pounds, Carson Floyd kept things going with an 11-2 major decision vs. Duke senior Vincent Baker.

The only loss of the night for the Mountaineers was in the Heavyweight class, where redshirt freshman Triston Norris lost a hard-fought match to the No. 20-ranked Duke big man, Jonah Niesenbaum, 5-1, to close the evening and, for Duke, avoid a team shutout.

After the evening’s slate of individual matches was over, High Country Sports spoke with several of the Mountaineers and found a common theme: they rarely study an upcoming opponent’s strengths or tendencies. Instead, they look at each foe as just another opponent and trust their own skills and preparations.

The win over Duke was Mountaineer head coach JohnMark Bentley’s tenth over a so-called “Power 5” program since he took command of the team some 14 years ago, during which the team is 126-75-1.

“Duke is very well-coached and they have a couple of guys who are pretty tough,” said Bentley in assessing the evening’s competition. “We took control of a lot of those matches which made the team score a little lopsided. We kept the pressure on throughout. I am really proud of our guys tonight. They scored a lot of points and wrestled with a lot of energy. I was proud of our effort. Any time you can beat an ACC school like that, it is always a good feeling.”

In evaluating individual performances, Bentley complimented Askey at 157 for his transition work and described Formato’s performance at 165 as “really dominating.”

“Formato is looking better than I have seen him look in the last three years,” said Bentley. “He wrestled that same Duke wrestler a year ago and it was a one- or two-point match. Tonight he beat the same guy by a 13-0 major decision. And in the 197-pound weight class, our Carson Floyd picked up a win over a Duke opponent who recently had a win over a nationally ranked wrestler from North Carolina, so that was a good win, too.

“It was a great crowd here tonight,” Bentley added. “We want to keep that same energy and keep those fans coming back. At intermission, I just told our guys to make sure we finish strong.”

Competing in the Southern Conference since the Sun Belt Conference does not have wrestling among its many sports, App State Wrestling hosts the Appalachian Open on Saturday, Jan. 28, then takes a 3-0 SoCon record into its league dual against Gardner Webb University on Monday, Jan. 30, in Boiling Springs, N.C.

MATCH SUMMARY: App State 42, Duke University 3

125: #11 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Ethan Grimminger (DU), fall (4:40)
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Logan Agin (DU), 13-3 maj. dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Jarred Papscy (DU), 5-1 dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Patrick Rowland (DU), 21-4 tech fall
157: #28 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Logan Ferrero (DU), fall (3:31)
165: #26 Will Formato (APP) def. Gabe Dinette (DU), 13-0 maj. dec.
174: #27 Will Miller (APP) won by forfeit
184: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Luke Chakonis (DU), 11-1 maj. dec.
197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Vincent Baker (DU), 11-2 maj. dec.
Hwt: #20 Jonah Niesenbaum (DU) def. Triston Norris (APP), 3-2 dec.

Extra match
141: Riley Edwards (APP) def. Christian Colman (DU), 4-0 dec.

BONUS PHOTOS

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. NORFOLK, Va. — Terence Harcum scored a career-high 28 points, highlighted by eight 3-pointers, leading App State to a convincing win over Old Dominion, 72-58.

This was the 15th time in program history that a player made at least eight triples. Harcum hit five during the second half, where the Mountaineers (11-10, 4-4 SBC) never trailed. He also pulled down a career-high seven rebounds and hit four of his five free throw attempts.

In terms of field goal percentage, App State ranks as the best defense in the Sun Belt (.399). The squad proved this in the first half when it held the Monarchs (11-9, 3-5 SBC) to seven field goals out of their 26 attempts. The Mountaineers held Old Dominion to only one field goal during a 12-minute stretch that included the last nine minutes of the first half.

Though the first half was marked by defense, Harcum hit his first three shots from 3-point range to put together a seven-point lead at the break, and the Mountaineers posted 12 points in the paint to Old Dominion’s two.

Harcum scored App State’s first eight points of the second half, setting the tone for the rest of the contest.

After the Butner, N.C. native hit his final field goal with three minutes left in the game, App State held on to a double-digit lead through the finish.

Xavion Brown added 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals during his third start of the season.

Justin Abson helped lead the visiting team’s feisty defensive effort, grabbing four rebounds and blocking two shots. The freshman’s block total is now at 43 as he inches toward the App State record books and ranks 16th in the nation.

After the win, the Black & Gold look forward to four straight games at home. App State will host Georgia State on Thursday night and Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon. Next week, the Mountaineers will host Marshall and James Madison.

Special Report from App State Sports. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the team score knotted at 3-3, Helena Jansen surged to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles over Jill Morse to send App State to a 4-3 victory at Queens on Saturday.

It was the first road win of the year for the Mountaineers (2-1), who were facing a Queens team (0-1) making its Division I debut after going 16-2 last year with a conference title and NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.

“I’m really proud of the way we competed today against a much-improved Queens team,” head coach Ashleigh Antal said. “Every match is an opportunity for us to take a step forward in our preparation for conference, and today was definitely a test of our toughness and ability to come up against adversity. I’m happy with the way we’re steadily improving, and hoping to continue to build on this win moving into next weekend.”

App State got off to a strong start by winning the doubles point with a clean sweep at all three doubles courts. Jansen teamed up with Ellie Murphy for a 7-5 win at No. 1. Maggie Pate and Savannah Dada-Mascoll won 6-4 at No. 2, while Brooke Gruber and Virginia Poggi triumphed 6-1 at No. 3.

The Mountaineers then got quick singles wins from Olwyn Ryan-Bovey at No. 6 (6-2, 6-1) and Dada-Mascoll at No. 3 (6-4, 6-0). Queens captured the next three singles points before Jansen’s dramatic finish.

App State remains on the road for its next six nonconference matches. Davidson is up next on Saturday, Jan. 28.

By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — The App State women’s basketball team defeated Coastal Carolina, 81-74, on Saturday, marking a fifth consecutive win in its series with the Chanticleers.

Four Mountaineers scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Emily Carver. For a fourth consecutive game, Carver scored more than 20 points for the Mountaineers and was successful on at least five 3-pointers. Carver netted a career and team-high 27 points and shot 6-of-8 from the 3-point line. She was also 5-of-6 from the free throw line. The Asheville, N.C. native pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and matched senior Taylor Lewis in the steals category, as each recorded four.

Freshman Alexis Black drained 18 points, shooting 5-of-7, which included 3-of-4 treys. Black, graduate student Brooke Bigott and redshirt senior Janay Sanders each shot perfectly from the charity stripe, helping the Mountaineers to a .905 team free throw percentage.

“I really challenged our team at halftime to be better on the defensive end. I thought our third quarter defense was some of the best defense that we (have) played and it really helped us get separation,” said head coach Angel Elderkin. “I have a phrase with our team, ‘excellence doesn’t blink,’ and I feel like our team was able to withstand (Coastal’s) runs and able to play our brand, our style of basketball. It’s when we have the most success.

“Coastal Carolina is a very good team coming in here with three wins,” Elderkin added. “They can shoot it from the outside and inside, so I just thought we did a really good job. Our bench really helped us today, so I’m just really proud. They do a thing every Monday: stay ready so you don’t have to get ready, and I thought Taylor Lewis, Alexis Black, and Mariah Frazier gave us really key moments today off the bench.”

App State recorded 24 points off the bench and 24 in the paint, in addition to 18 fast break points.

Black netted six points in the first quarter while redshirt junior A’Lea Gilbert, junior Faith Alston, Bigott, and Sanders each contributed two points to keep App State within four of Coastal Carolina’s early, 18-14 lead. Early treys from Lewis and Bigott brought App State to within two points (22-20) in the second period and the Mountaineers kept pace with CCU. Carver and Black sunk late, back-to-back treys but despite the Black and Gold’s best efforts the Chants took a 44-38 lead at the half.

After trailing Coastal Carolina at halftime, the Mountaineers found a spark in the third quarter. Layups from Bigott and Sanders and a trey from Carver cut CCU’s lead to 49-45. Black and Sanders each drilled a pair of free throws, enabling the Mountaineers to meet Coastal Carolina at 49-all. Another 3-pointer from Carver gave App State a 52-49 lead for the sole lead change of the game. The Mountaineers held the Chants to six points in the third quarter while going on on a commanding, 21-0 scoring run. They closed out the third period with a 60-50 lead.

App State kept command of the lead in the fourth quarter with layups from Carver and Sanders keeping the Mountaineers ahead, 64-59. Black and Carver sunk back-to-back treys before Bigott and Lewis made it to the hoop for layups, putting App State ahead, 74-64. An Alston fadeaway jumper gave the Black and Gold a 76-71 lead. The Mountaineers sealed their victory with free throws from Carver and Bigott.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will head to Atlanta, Ga. to take on Georgia State on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. The Mountaineers will host their Uncorked event on Friday, Jan. 27 from 6-8 p.m. at Venture Wine and Chocolate Co. App State will then host Louisiana on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. for Alumni Weekend. Single game tickets are available. App State women’s basketball alumni are invited to sign up for a pre-game alumni event at the McKinney Alumni Center on Jan. 28.

By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – The App State women’s basketball team clashed with Southern Miss on Thursday for the first time in conference play, falling to the Lady Eagles, 75-68.

“All week long we talked about protecting the house and went into battle in the paint and I thought Southern Miss was a very good team, a very well coached team. They exploited us with No. 45. She was able to have 26 points and 15 rebounds, and (their) 42 points in the paint to our 26 was just a difference maker,” said head coach Angel Elderkin.

“I was disappointed in our defense,” Elderkin added. “We tried multiple options and it just seemed like they had an answer for everything. I think they did a really nice job executing. But I was proud of my team for not giving up and I thought in the fourth quarter we definitely made a run and could have had a chance to come out on the other side of this one. But hopefully there’s a lesson to be learned from it.”

Sophomore Emily Carver netted a career and team-high 23 points, marking her third consecutive game scoring 20+ points. She also drained 6-of-8 treys on the night. Junior Faith Alston and redshirt senior Janay Sanders also scored double figures, with Alston netting 17 points and Sanders scoring 14. In addition to her 17 points, Alston pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and five assists. Sanders shot 4-of-5 from the charity stripe while recording three rebounds and two steals.

App State scored 20 points off turnovers, 26 in the paint, and 11 from fast breaks.

Carver was responsible for 13 of App State’s 19 points in the first quarter, drilling 3-of-4 treys and 5-of-6 field goals. In addition to a trey and free throw from Alston and a layup from Sanders, the Mountaineers stayed within one of the Lady Eagles, trailing 20-19 at the end of the quarter.

Carver opened the second quarter with another trey to tie things at 22 all, and a 3-point bucket from redshirt junior A’Lea Gilbert gave App State a 25-22 edge. Gilbert, Sanders, and Carver each made layups, keeping within two of Southern Miss’ 33-31 lead at the half.

Sanders opened the third quarter with a pair of free throws and Carver sunk another trey to bring App State within three (39-36). A trey from Alston and layup from Sanders cut into the Lady Eagles’ lead, but a scoring drought from the Black and Gold and an 8-0 run from Southern Miss left App State trailing 53-41 at the end of the quarter.

In the fourth and final quarter, a layup and pair of free throws from Sanders and a three-point play from Gilbert cut Southern Miss’ lead to 60-50. Alston cut the deficit to 63-56 with a back-to-back layup and jumper. A crucial trey from Carver put App State back within one (63-62), but the Lady Eagles pulled ahead to 75-68 for the victory.

Leading Southern Miss was Melyia Grayson, who earned a double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Jacorriah Bracey and Domonique Davis also scored double figures for the Lady Eagles.

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The Mountaineers will host Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets will be $5 as part of App State’s Everyone is a Kid Day. There will also be free “I don’t want to grow up, I’m an App State Kid” shirts available for the first 100 fans.

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. CONWAY, S.C. — Dibaji Walker had a career-best 27 points and eight rebounds off the bench, but App State fell to Coastal Carolina in overtime, 84-93.

The Mountaineers (10-10, 3-4 SBC) trailed by 11 with seven minutes remaining in regulation before Walker caught fire, scoring on seven of the next eight App State possessions to bring the score within four points of the Chanticleers (9-9, 3-4 SBC).
With 48 seconds left, Donovan Gregory continued the rally by finishing in the paint to make the score 74-76. As Coastal Carolina attempted to extend the lead, Walker blocked a shot, got the rebound, and scored on the other end to force overtime, where the home team would eventually pull away.

Walker’s 27 points were the most by an App State player since Adrian Delph scored 28 against USC Upstate in the last game of the 2021-22 season.

Walker shot 8-11 from the field and made six of his eight 3-pointers. The graduate student also grabbed eight rebounds, the most in his five-year career.

Gregory finished with 19 points, a season-high four steals, and his third nine-assist game of the month.

The Mountaineers scored 39 points in the first half, the most in a league period since Feb. 23 of last year when App State posted 40 first-half points, eventually defeating Little Rock, 78-66.

CJ Huntley added nine points and nine rebounds, tallying his 11th consecutive game with six rebounds or more.

Head coach Dustin Kerns has only lost two of 23 games during his four-year stint when the Mountaineers score 80 or more.

App State will be back in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Old Dominion (11-8, 3-4 SBC). The Monarchs defeated Georgia State on Thursday night, 70-58.