App State Falls to Coastal Carolina on Senior Day

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (11-18, 6-12 SBC) fell to Coastal Carolina (13-15, 8-10 SBC) on Senior Day, 56-53, inside the Holmes Center in the regular-season finale. 

App honored its five seniors, Jasmine Ogunjimi , Mia Marshall, Joi Jones, Bria Carter and Ashley Bassett-Smith. Also, App State recognized its head manager, Morgan Cook, and videographer, Topher Abbott.

The trio of seniors  in Bassett-Smith, Jones and Carter all played well in their final home game. Bassett-Smith and Jones led the Apps with 13 points apiece and combined to shoot 10-for-19 from the field to along with 11 boards. Carter notched seven points and five boards for the Black and Gold. All three combined for 33 of the 53 points scored. 

 Madi Story tied a game-high with 10 boards for her seventh double-digit rebounding game of the season and scored eight points. 

The game was tied or in App's favor for 37:54 while Coastal wouldn't take its first lead of the game until there was 2:06 left, 55-53. App couldn't find the bucket with chances to tie on several different occasions. Coastal would take a three-point lead with 28 seconds left before Jones and Q. Murray had clean looks to tie, but fell short. 

App State sprinted to a 17-10 lead after the first quarter thanks to excellent play on both ends of the floor. The seniors scored 10 of the first 13 points en route to a 13-5 lead in the first 4:29 of the game.

App shot 47.1 percent in the first frame, assisted on seven of eight-made field goals and held Coastal to 30.8 percent shooting.

The Mountaineers continued the strong play in the second quarter stretching the seven-point lead to as much as 18 (32-14) thanks to a 9-0 run in which Story scored five of the points. Coastal did go into the with four quick points in the final 1:19 to slice the deficit to 32-18.

When the game was in total control for the Apps, leading 40-22 with 6:42, the Chanticleers outscored the hosts, 22-14, in the third quarter to close the App lead to six, 46-40. 

With Coastal getting to within one point early in the fourth quarter, 46-45, App responded with scores from Murray and Carter before a free throw from Bassett-Smith gave Appalachian a 50-45 lead. 

The Mountaineers kept the lead until Coastal finished the game on an 11-3 to pull out the win. App shot just 3-for-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter after hitting seven of its first 10 from the charity stripe. 

After not attempting a single foul shot in the first half. Coastal went 12-for-15 from the line, and outscored App from beyond the arc, 18-3. Appalachian also committed 11 of its 18 miscues in the second half, while Coastal only made six mistakes in the second stanza (12 in the first half.).

It won't be long for the two foes to face each other again, as the Apps and Chanticleers will face off for the second-straight game on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. (ET) in the first round of the 2017 Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans, La. at Lakefront Arena. App will enter the tournament as the No. 9 seed while CCU will be slotted in the eighth spot. The winner will move on to play No. 1 seed Little Rock.