BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (7-5, 1-0 SBC) aims to end the weekend with a 2-0 mark in conference action when it hosts Troy (10-2, 1-0 SBC) on Saturday
afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Holmes Center.
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About the Mountaineers
Last Time Out
The Apps got league action off to a hot start, as they dealt South Alabama its first loss of the season with a 71-63 victory on Thursday. App defeated a South Alabama team that came into the game ranked 23rd in the
College Insider Mid-Major Poll and receiving votes in the
USA Today Coaches poll.
Lainey Gosnell scored a game and season-high 18 points on the triumph, which all came in the second half on 7-of-12 shooting. The sophomore tallied all 10 points in a 10-2 burst that gave App a commanding lead late in the fourth quarter.
Pre Stanley was right behind Gosnell with 17 points, while
Bayley Plummer snagged
a game-high 16 rebounds with nine points. The defense held South Alabama to just 21.4 percent shooting in the final period, leading to a 23-10 edge in the quarter.
Up-Tempo Style
Troy and App are the two fastest teams in the Sun Belt. The Trojans are averaging 81 possessions per game, which tops the league and is fourth in the league, while App is second at 78.1 in the league and 19th in the country.
What to Watch For
- App State is averaging 22 free throw attempts at home this season and shooting 74.4 percent in the process. See if the Mountaineers can get to the line and take advantage of their opportunities.
- App turned the ball over just 14 times against South Alabama. Appalachian has 14 or fewer turnovers in three of the past four contests. Watch if the Apps can take care of the ball against a Troy team that is 10th in the country in turnovers forced at 23.3.
- Over the past five games,
Lainey Gosnell is averaging 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds Gosnell scored a season-high 18 points against South Alabama on Thursday. See if she continue her solid play against Troy.
- App is a plus-12.2 on the glass at home this season. The Mountaineers are facing one of the top rebounding teams in Troy. Watch if the Black and Gold can contain the Trojans on the boards.
- Appalachian's defense stepped up against South Alabama, particularly in the fourth quarter when it held the Jags to just 21.4 percent. On top of that, the Apps held South Alabama to more than 10 points below its season average. See if the defense can contain a high-potent Troy offense.
Scouting Troy
- In as many games, the Mountaineers will face a team getting recognition in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 rankings. Troy is 26th on the list.
- Troy comes in as one of the fastest teams in the nation and the best rebounding programs in the country.
- Troy is averaging just over 80 possessions per game, which is tied for fourth in the nation with Northern Illinois.
- The Trojans are first in rebounds per game (51.6), offensive rebounds per game (24.0)
- Troy is also 18th in the nation in scoring at 82.3 points per game.
- Amber Rivers (12.5 ppg) and Kayla Robinson (10.5 ppg) lead the team way in scoring.
- Sky'Lynn Holmes is pulling down a team-best 8.2 rpg, while K. Robinson is dishing out a team-high 4.0 apg.
- Troy has won its last four games following a come-from-behind victory in its Sun Belt opener at Coastal Carolina on Thursday.
- The Trojans' lone losses are against Florida State and Middle Tennessee.
Series History
App is 1-6 all-time against Troy with the lone win coming in 2015-16 on the road.
