RICHMOND, Va. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (2-2) suffered a 55-46 decision to Richmond (1-3) on Sunday evening at the Robins Center.
The Mountaineers and Spiders both struggled from the floor shooting 35.2 percent, but the home team held a 14-6 advantage from the free throw line and corralled 42 boards to App State's 32, including a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass.
Joi Jones scored a team-high 16 points on eight shots. After starting 2-of-10 from the floor, Jones shot 6-for-9 from the field. Ashley Bassett-Smith was one point shy of her career high with 14 points on four buckets and a perfect 6-of-6 performance from the line. The senior forward added to her stat line with four boards and a block. Bria Carter led the team with a season-high seven boards and scored six points.
While trailing by 10, 48-38, with four minutes left in the game, Jones went on a personal 6-0 spurt in 54 seconds to cut the Apps' deficit to four, 48-44. Jones went on to score 10 of her 16 points and 10 of the Apps' 14 points overall in the fourth period. After forcing a Richmond turnover, Elizabeth Norregaard's 3-point attempt to cut the lead to one went in-and-out. From that point on, the Spiders scored seven of the next nine points to clinch their first win of the season.
Appalachian got off to another slow start with Richmond starting the game on an 8-2 run over the first 5:06 of the contest. Over the final 4:54, Jones sparked a 7-1 run that tied the game going into the second quarter, 9-9. Madi Story hit a trifecta to cut the deficit before Bayley Plummer tied the game with a nifty reverse layup.
The game kept close throughout the rest of the first half where a total of seven ties and two lead changes took place. In the second quarter, the Apps tied the game on several different occasions but could never get over the hump. After Jones hit her second shot of the half to tie the game at 19-all, Richmond forced a turnover before scoring with three seconds left in the half to take a slight 21-19 edge into the break.
The Spiders took control of the game in the third quarter outscoring the Black and Gold, 14-4, over a 6:40 span to extend the lead to 12, 35-23. App State closed the game as Bassett-Smith scored six of the team's final nine points and Amber Driver hit a big 3-pointer that cut the lead to just seven off one of one of Mikaya Wilson's four assists.
A free throw from Lauren Tolson pushed the score back up to eight, 40-32, going into the final period. App State committed nine of its 18 turnovers in the third quarter, leading to nine points off the miscues for the Spiders and eight points in the paint.
Jones began the quarter with a field goal, but App State couldn't get stops on the other end thanks to the duo Janelle Hubbard and Micaela Parson who combined for 40 of the team's points and 13 of Richmond's 19 field goals overall. Richmond stretched the lead to 10, 48-38, before Appalachian's valiant effort to get back into the game in the final minutes.
Appalachian will look to get back on track with a 7 p.m. contest against ETSU on Wednesday in Johnson City, Tenn.
Tip-Ins
- Bassett-Smith now has 95 career blocks and is five away from being one of seven Mountaineers with 100 blocks in their career.
- Wilson's team-high four assists is a career-best for the freshman.
- App State shot a season-low eight free throws after averaging 34.3 free throw attempts coming into the game.
