STATESBORO, Ga. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (9-17, 6-11 SBC) needed big plays down the stretch to pull out an exciting 68-62 victory over archrival Georgia Southern (7-20, 4-14 SBC) Thursday evening at Hanner Fieldhouse.
For the Mountaineers, the win snaps a four-game losing streak and a three-game skid on the road.
Joi Jones poured in a team-high 15 points (eight in the fourth quarter) on an efficient 5-for-8 shooting from the field while dishing out five assists. Madi Story followed suit with 14 points to round out the leading scorers, and pulled six off the glass. Bria Carter had perhaps her best game of the season with nine points, a game-high 12 rebounds and five helpers.
Eight of the nine student-athletes that came into the game scored, including 17 points from the second unit, which outscored Georgia Southern's bench by 12 (17-5). Appalachian got huge contributions from Ashley Bassett-Smith, as she scored eight points on four shots and grabbed four boards. Kaila Craven and Elizabeth Norregaard combined for nine points on three trifectas.
App State hit a season-high nine 3-pointers, including three pivotal shots from long distance by senior Farrahn Wood. The Black and Gold did an excellent job of sharing the ball with 18 assists on 24 field goals (75 percent), 10 of those assists came from Carter and Jones.
Appalachian showed poise down the stretch in a tight contest that finished with six ties and nine lead changes. With 2:56 left in regulation and the game tied, 60-all, the Mountaineers went on an 8-2 run to capture their fourth win in the last five games in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Jones scored six-straight points and gave App State the lead for good when KeKe Cooper found Jones for a layup that led to getting fouled and converting picking up three points the old-fashion way. Appalachian hit some key free throws over the final minutes going 6-for-7 after going just 5-for-14.
Appalachian went 6-for-8 from the field over the final 6:27 of the game while Jones had an incredible fourth-quarter performance where she had a hand in 16 of the final 18 points overall when the Apps were trailing 51-50 and found Craven from beyond the arc to give App State a 53-51 lead.
Georgia Southern started the contest with a 5-2 advantage before App State found its first lead of the game, 6-5, when Bassett-Smith hit two of her four field goals. With App State holding a 9-5 advantage thanks to a 3-pointer from Craven, the hosts came back to tie the contest, 9-9. Appalachian scored seven of the final nine points to go into the second period with a 16-11 lead, while the tandem of Jones and Story scored all seven points.
The lead ballooned in the opening minutes of the second quarter with back-to-back treys from Jones and Wood that capped off a 13-2 run dating back to the 5:13 mark of the opening frame. Defensively, the Mountaineers forced GASO to miss seven-straight shots and endure a 6:51 scoring drought.
But the Eagles clawed their way back with a 9-0 run to cut the App State lead to one possession, 22-20. The Black and Gold responded by scoring the next eight points to take an eight-point lead, 30-22, once Norregaard drained a 3-pointer. Georgia Southern would slice the deficit on two more occasions before hitting one from long distance to put the Mountaineer lead to two, 33-31, entering the break.
Carter had herself an all-around half with five points, six boards and five assists while the Apps got 12 points from the bench and nine of the Mountaineers' 13 field goals were assisted on. App State also shot 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from the field in the second period with five of the field goals being assisted on.
Georgia Southern came out of the gate with some momentum, putting together an 11-3 run over the first 5:52 of the third quarter to take its largest lead of the game, 42-36. Appalachian dug deep to climb back when Story and Jones scored seven of the next points including a Story trifecta that dwindled the GASO lead to one, 44-43. A Cooper jumper and a Wood 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions spurted App State to a 48-44 lead before Georgia Southern answered with a three of its own to put App State's lead to one, 48-47, going into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, both teams wouldn't lead by no more than six until the final buzzer when App State claimed the triumph. With 6:27 left in the game, the Apps and Eagles traded baskets on three straight possessions up until the final few minutes that gave the crowd an exciting game between the two rivals.
App State will have another important Sun Belt game as the season winds down. The Mountaineers will travel to Atlanta for a 12 p.m. contest against Georgia State. The Panthers are a game behind App State in the race for the eighth seed in the conference tournament.
Quotable
“Tonight was a great team effort with contributions from everyone. Our team showed character and toughness down the stretch and was able to lock in defensively. I was especially proud of the fourth-quarter performance of point guard Joi Jones.” - Head coach Angel Elderkin.
Tip-Ins
- The Apps' 75 assist percentage rate was a season high.
- Carter's plus-16 in 35 minutes was a game high.
- Jones and Carter notched a game-best 17 PER (player efficiency rating) followed by Story (12) and Cooper (11).
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