WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - App State University women's basketball (1-8) suffered a 78-49 decision to Wake Forest (5-5) on Thursday evening inside LJVM Coliseum.
LaPresha Stanley paced the Mountaineers with a team and career-high 16 points while grabbing a team-best seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Tierra Wilson also scored in double figures with 11 points, and
Armani Hampton rounded out the leading scorers with eight points.
The battle inside the paint proved to be pivotal in the outcome as the Deacs posted a 52-24 edge in rebounding, particularly a 22-7 advantage on the offensive end that led to 26-3 output in second-chance points. WF would score 46 of its points inside the paint with
Bayley Plummer and
Maya Calder facing foul trouble.
App State got off to a strong start thanks to back-to-back field goals from
Armani Hampton and Plummer to give the Mountaineers a 4-0 lead. App's defense held WF scoreless for the first 3:11 of the contest. From that point on, both teams went back and forth with neither squad having a lead by more than two points. With the scored tied, 10-10, Wilson scored three straight points followed by a nifty layup from
Nicola Mathews that capped off a 5-2 spurt to give the Black and Gold a 15-12 lead. However, WF also responded by going on a 5-0 spurt to end the first period with a 17-15 edge.
Calder scored both of her field goals in the opening 1:04 of the second period to lift App back into the lead, 19-17. With the Mountaineers having the lead and the momentum, it looked like they were about to go on a run. But the hosts went on a 16-0 run over 5:37 while App missed seven straight shots during the stretch, giving the Demon Deacons a commanding lead.
After WF had come out of the half with a 39-24 lead, the Apps started strong out of the gate with a 6-0 surge that cut the deficit to single digits, 39-30. Stanley had a hand in the first four points with a layup and found Hampton for a jumper on the ensuing offensive possession. But Wake Forest responded with a field goal from Amber Campbell that put the advantage back in double digits, which it would never go back below 10 points the rest of the contest.
Appalachian ended the game with a season-low 14 turnovers, which is an area that the Mountaineers have been improving in.
App State will have an eight-day break before returning to action. The Apps will face Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 16 for the third of a four-game road swing.
