BOONE, N.C. – With fall break underway and no classes in session until next week, Appalachian State University women's basketball maximized its time in Varsity Gym with a pair of practices on Thursday.

As the start of the season rapidly approaching, head coach Darcie Vincent spoke of the importance of improving with each practice, as the Mountaineers will field an extremely young team in 2013-14.

"We've been taking steps forward all throughout practice," said Vincent. "It's really important for us to stay on track because, with such a young group, getting behind even a day can really throw you off."

The Mountaineers, who have six new players and five true freshmen on the roster, worked on their signature pressure defense and also competed in a series of drills where the squad split into two teams and earned points for each win.

"We're just really focused on getting our chemistry down," said junior Katie Mallow. "Once we get all that done we can work on installing more defenses and offenses. Every drill we have is competitive, there's always a winner and a loser - we have an incentive every day."

Appalachian will continue two-a-day practices for the next several days. The Mountaineers will give fans a preview of the season to come when they host USC-Aiken in an exhibition game on Nov. 2.