App State Throttles Georgia Southern for Third Straight Win

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University (5-12, 3-3 SBC) put on a stellar performance in a convincing 87-56 victory over archrival Georgia Southern (3-14, 0-6 SBC) on Alumni Day in the Holmes Center.

The Mountaineers' 31-point blowout win over the Eagles is the largest win in series history, while the three-game win streak is the first since the 2015-16 campaign. It's also the first three-game conference win streak since the 2014-15 season. 

Appalachian clicked on both sides of the ball where five Mountaineers scored in double figures, while they held GS to 56 points on 28.4 percent shooting from the field and 22.9 percent from beyond the arc. App scored a season-high in points for a second straight contest and shot a solid 55.4 percent from the floor. App State did an excellent job moving the ball tying a season-high 21 assists on 31 buckets.

Tierra Wilson once again had her shot falling finishing a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-5 from deep for a game-high 21 points. The freshman guard set the tone scoring 19 of her points in the first half including 14 in the opening frame. Bayley Plummer registered a second straight double-double and her eighth of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Plummer added three assists with one block and one steal.

LaPresha Stanley scored 11 points and tied a career high with nine off the glass, bringing the freshman to just one board shy of her first-ever double-double. The bench gave the Mountaineers great minutes as they scored a season-high 34 points. Dominique Jeffery poured in a career-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five rebounds in 14 minutes, while Anna Perez Gomez chipped in with five points and three assists. Maya Calder was up to her usual ways with four points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The quartet of Gosnell, Jefferey, Gomez, and Calder finished the game shooting 13-of-22 (59 percent) with 18 rebounds and seven assists. 

Nicola Mathews didn't shoot as she has been lately but did dish out a game and career-best eight assists with a personal-high six rebounds. Armani Hampton had a solid game as she chipped in with eight points and five rebounds. All nine players who got into the game scored with seven players notching at least one assist. 

The Mountaineers led from start to finish with the Eagles tying up the game just once early in the first quarter at 5-5. Plummer's layup with 7:24 left in the first quarter broke the tie and gave App the lead for good. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Wilson pushed the lead to eight, 20-12, going into the second frame.

Appalachian turned it on the second period holding Georgia Southern to just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting thanks in large part to an impressive 7:45 scoring drought. Appalachian's superb display on defense helped extend the lead to 19, 38-19, following a layup from Gomez before the horn. Appalachian assisted on 11 of 14 field goals while holding a 30-12 edge on the glass. Wilson scored as much as GS in the first half with 19 points. 

The second half was much of the same with the Mountaineers continuing the momentum as they never led by less than 16 points. A 10-0 run over the final 3:25 of the third frame ballooned the lead to 28 at the end of the quarter, 60-32. Appalachian cruised the rest of the way in the fourth quarter to give it a 9-4 mark in the last 13 contests against its archrival including back-to-back wins at home with both results by 25 points or more.

App dominated GS on the glass, 56-26, for the highest rebounding advantage this season. The Mountaineers corralled a season-high 20 offensive rebounds for 19 second-chance points, also a season-best. Appalachian outscored GS, 36-20 in the paint. 

The Mountaineers will look to continue the win streak next weekend when they travel to Alabama to face the defending Sun Belt Tournament champions in Troy (Thursday) before facing another tough foe in South Alabama on Saturday. 

Quotable
"I loved the way our team team is showing growth, and this was truly a team win with everyone contributing and scoring. To have 21 assists on 31 field goals and a plus-30 rebounding advantage is a great day." - Head coach Angel Elderkin 

Tip-Ins
- App State is 4-0 when Wilson scores at least 20 points
- Wilson averaged 21.5 points, 1.5 assists and one rebound while shooting a blistering 73.7 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from beyond the arc in two wins this weekend
- The freshman guard is the first player to score 20 points in three straight games since Maryah Sydnor in 2014-15
- The 34 points from the reserves are the most since App received 42 points off the bench in a 96-81 win at Troy during the 2015-16 season
- All nine players had a plus/minus in the plus threshold while four players had a plus/minus above 20 and Gosnell boasting a career-high plus/minus of 30
- Wilson led the team with a PER of 21 while Plummer (19), Jeffery (14) and Gosnell (13) following suit
- It's the first time this season App had the upper hand in every quarter
- Plummer has notched at least 10 rebounds in 15 of 17 games
- App's 31-point victory is the largest at home since App State defeated Gardner Webb, 84-43 (41 points) during the 2012-13 season
- Appalachian is 5-2 against Georgia Southern under Angel Elderkin