By David Rogers. PENSACOLA, Fla. — Down 19 points with 7:29 left in the women’s basketball game vs. Marshall, for App State it was “Carver time.” In the space of three minutes, Mountaineer senior Emily Carver knocked in three, 3-pointers and added an acrobatic layup and a free throw to help shrink the deficit to 10 points before fouling out.
With Carver gone, senior guard Mara Neira picked up the slack with four quick 3-pointers of her own. But the clock was winding down and the Mountaineers were forced to foul in hopes of getting the ball back on Marshall misses at the charity stripe. Unfortunately for the favored High Country athletes, the No. 11-seeded Marshall players made good on their free throws and kept No. 6 App State at a distance to win, 75-66.
The Thundering Herd began to get separation on the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter, then expanded the deficit to nine points (35-26) by intermission. Led by starting guard Aislynn Hayes’ nine points in the third period, Marshall built on the lead to sport a commanding, 14-point advantage at the start of the final period (55-41).
Still, with Carver and Neira doing most of the late scoring, the Mountaineers tried to make it interesting at the end.
In speaking with reporters later, App State head coach Alaura Sharp acknowledged both the opponent as well as the “fight” of her Mountaineers.
“Obviously, I want to give a lot of credit to Marshall. They are rolling right now and playing very well at a high level. It’s amazing what they’ve done all these games in a row,” said Sharp.
“I feel like our team could have thrown in the towel down 19, but that fight, that grit, that stick with it (attitude) shows a lot about the character of our (team). I’ve had a lot of fun coaching this group.” Sharp added.
KEY APP STATE PERFORMANCES
- Emily Carver – 23 points (4-of-7 3FG), 5-of-6 free throws, 2 steals
- Mara Neira – 23 points (7-of-15 3FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
- Elena Pericic – 7 rebounds, 7 points, 1 block, 2 assists
KEY MARSHALL PERFORMANCES
- CC Mays – 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Blessing King – 5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals
- Aislynn Hayes – 15 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
- Peyton Ilderton – 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Meredith Maier – 12 points, 2 blocks
SELECTED TEAM STATS
- Field Goal % – MAR 49% (23-47), APP 39% (22-56)
- 3-Point % – MAR 38% (9-24), APP 42% (13-31)
- Free Throw % – MAR 74% (20-27), APP 64% (9-14)
- Turnovers – MAR 19, APP 15
- Points off Turnovers – MAR 16, APP 18
- Total Rebounds – MAR 36, APP 29
- 2nd Chance Points – MAR 14, APP 13
- Bench Points – MAR 32, APP 28
- Points in Paint – MAR 28, APP 14
- Fast Break Points – MAR 5, APP 4
- Blocks – MAR 5, APP 1
- Steals – MAR 11, APP 5
- Time Leading – MAR 35:46, APP 1:36
