By Zach Smith. CONWAY, S.C. — Following losses to three of the top four schools in the Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball standings, App State looked to get back into the win column on Feb., traveling to Conway, S,C. to face Coastal Carolina. Behind a barrage of three-pointers by Alexis Black, Faith Alston, Emily Carver and Taylor Lewis, the Mountaineers snapped a four-game losing skid in defeating the Chanticleers, 80-70.
Each of App State’s top four scorers netted at least three shots from beyond the arc in their victory over Coastal Carolina. Alston’s 18 points led the way for the Mountaineers, while Lewis (16 points)), Black (15) and Carver (13) rounded out the App State scoring effort. Lewis’ points and her five made three-pointers marked career highs for the senior guard. Carver was the key distributor for the Mountaineers, dishing out six assists.
Coastal Carolina was led by a season-high 25 points from Arin Freeman. Makaila Cange also performed well for the Chanticleers, posting a “double-double” of 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The first quarter was dominated by Lewis. The COVID senior netted 12 of her 16 points in the period, going 4-5 from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers shot at a 53% clip in the opening quarter and a pressing defense limiting Coastal Carolina to just a 32% mark in the process.
Three-point shooting didn’t slow down for App State in the second period. The Mountaineers cashed in on another six shots from deep, three from Black. Coastal Carolina had a chance to close the gap with 11 free-throw attempts in the quarter, but were only able to convert on five. App State took a 10-point lead into the locker room.
The Mountaineers stretched their lead to as many as 19 in the third stanza, riding three separate runs of at least five consecutive points to extend the deficit. Alston netted 11 of her team-high 18 points in the period. Cange scored the last bucket of the frame for the Coastal Carolina, but the Chanticleers still trailed by 17 entering the fourth quarter.
Coastal Carolina came to life early in the final period. The Chanticleers went on a 10-1 run over the first three minutes of the quarter, and looked to mount a furious comeback. App State’s defense stood their ground, though, and Coastal Carolina was held without a made shot from the field over the final 2:48 to play.
As a team, App State shot 47% from the field, punctuated by a stratospheric 52% clip from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers led wire-to-wire, never giving up their advantage over the final 38:46.
With the loss, Coastal Carolina falls to 2-9 in Sun Belt play, ahead of only South Alabama in the conference standings. The Chanticleers look to bounce back Wednesday (Feb. 7) as they host Texas State before going on the road for their next four games. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State’s victory improves the team’s Sun Belt record to 5-6. The Mountaineers return to Boone for five of their next six contests, the lone road test being a trip to Western Michigan for the second leg in the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge. The first match-up in App State’s conference home stand is a battle with ULM on for Wednesday, Feb. 7, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m., and streamed on ESPN+.
