Gosnell
Rob Moore (Appalachian '93)
66
Arkansas State ASU 10-10 (5-4 SBC)
68
Winner Appalachian State APP 6-15 (4-6 SBC)
Arkansas State ASU
10-10 (5-4 SBC)
66
Final
68
Appalachian State APP
6-15 (4-6 SBC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Arkansas State ASU 21 17 18 10 66
Appalachian State APP 25 12 21 10 68

Next Game:

at UT Arlington

2/1/2018 | 6:00 P.M.

Next Game

Full Schedule
Feb. 01 (Thu) / 6:00 P.M.
at UT Arlington

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Mountaineers Push Past Arkansas State in Final Seconds

BOONE, N.C. - Big plays down the stretch and a 3-pointer by Nicola Mathews  with 11 seconds left helped Appalachian State University women's basketball (6-15, 4-6 SBC) gut out a thrilling 68-66 triumph against Arkansas State (10-10, 5-4 SBC) on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center.

Leading up to the final few minutes, the Mountaineers and Red Wolves were tied after Jada Ford hit a 3-pointer to knot things up, 61-61. After Plummer had missed the back end of a pair at the line, Maya Calder muscled her way for an offensive rebound and then laid it back up to give App a 64-61 cushion.

Arkansas State would then score three quick points to tie up the thriling contest after Akasha Westbrook scored on a layup in transition. On the ensuing possession, LaPresha Stanley  fed Mathews with a perfect pass on the left wing for the most significant 3-pointer of her App career to push the Mountaineers in front, 67-64. Arkansas State had a chance to tie up the game on the next trip down the floor. Payton Tennison's tying attempt fell short. Mathews went 1-2 at the line after being fouled on the next offensive possession, giving the Black and Gold the two-point edge. A-State had another shot of tying the game, but the clock ran out before it could get a shot off. The Mountaineers snap a three-game skid and capture their third straight win over the Red Wolves. 

After scoring just 14 points over the past three games combined, Lainey Gosnell broke out of her mini-scoring slump to score a game-high 18 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the field. The 18 points are the highest output when coming off the bench, while all six shots connected from 3-point range. Bayley Plummer recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-best 10 rebounds. Plummer stuffed the stat sheet with four assists, three blocks, and a steal. Tierra Wilson hung 12 points along with four rebounds and three helpers, while Mathews finished the game with nine points, four assists and three off the glass. 

Contributions were received by everyone as App assisted on a staggering 22 of 25 field goals (88 percent) with six Mountaineers collecting multiple assists and five with at least three helpers. The bench also stepped up their game. On top of Gosnell's 18, Calder added five points and three off the window including crunch-time rebounds in the fourth frame. The reserves combined to shoot 9-for-12 with 26 points and seven rebounds. 

The 3-point shot for App was falling as it went 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) from deep. Appalachian has hit 10 or more 3-pointers in three games. 

Both teams came out scorching in the first frame hitting 18-of-29 combined field goals and 10-for-15 from deep. Armani Hampton  started the Mountaineers on a stretch of five straight baskets to turn a three-point lead into a 17-10 advantage following a Mathews trey. However, the Red Wolves clawed back to cut the deficit to one, 22-21. Wilson found Gosnell in transition for a corner trey just before the horn sounded to give the Black and Gold a 25-21 lead going into the second period. 

App shot 10-for-13 from the floor while the 76.9 percent shooting was the highest out of any quarter, and all 10 field goals were assisted on. 

Neither team could get any separation as the lead never grew larger than four points. Trailing 33-29 with 3:21 left in the half, Hampton sparked an 8-0 spurt with her second of three jumpers before back-to-back trifectas from Gosnell capped off the surge and gave App a 37-33 lead. However, the Red Wolves would score the final five points to take a one-point edge into the break. 

A-State continued the hot shooting hitting six of its first nine shots to take its largest lead of the game at six, 53-47. App State then came back with a run of its own when Gosnell and Wilson converted back-to-back shots from 3-point land backed by a Plummer layup and another trifecta from the Demorest, Ga., native. The run gave App the three-point edge, 58-55, before Westbrook's free throw made the score 58-56. 
 
Appalachian wouldn't relinquish the lead the rest of the game despite Arkansas State tying up the game on two occasions. The Black and Gold held a slim margin while the defense clamped down to limit A-State to 3-for-19 in the final frame including a stretch where the Red Wolves missed 16 straight shots and endured a 5:56 scoring drought. App didn't fare much better from the field hitting just two field goals, but both shots came in the final three minutes of the game when App need them the most. 

The Mountaineers will look to keep the momentum going next week when they head Arlington, Texas to face UT Arlington on Thursday at 6 p.m. (ET).

Quotable
"Today was a great effort from our team. We got back to running the floor and playing the brand of basketball we are capable of playing. When the team needed "one more", we executed." - Angel Elderkin

Tip-Ins
- App State is 6-0 this season when shooting 40 percent or better from deep
- Despite Stanley not hitting a field goal, the freshman led the team in plus/minus with a plus-9 after scoring three points with four assists and three boards
- Plummer led the team in PER with 18
- Gosnell has scored in double figures in five games this season
- Wilson has reached double figures in 12 contests
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Players Mentioned

Armani Hampton

#14 Armani Hampton

G/F
5' 11"
Sophomore
Bayley Plummer

#42 Bayley Plummer

C/F
6' 4"
Sophomore
Pre Stanley

#5 Pre Stanley

G
5' 9"
Freshman
Lainey Gosnell

#30 Lainey Gosnell

F
6' 1"
Freshman
Tierra Wilson

#3 Tierra Wilson

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Maya Calder

#1 Maya Calder

F
6' 0"
Freshman
Nicola Mathews

#4 Nicola Mathews

G
5' 8"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Armani Hampton

#14 Armani Hampton

5' 11"
Sophomore
G/F
Bayley Plummer

#42 Bayley Plummer

6' 4"
Sophomore
C/F
Pre Stanley

#5 Pre Stanley

5' 9"
Freshman
G
Lainey Gosnell

#30 Lainey Gosnell

6' 1"
Freshman
F
Tierra Wilson

#3 Tierra Wilson

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Maya Calder

#1 Maya Calder

6' 0"
Freshman
F
Nicola Mathews

#4 Nicola Mathews

5' 8"
Sophomore
G