BOONE, N.C. - For a second straight season, App State women's basketball opens the season with a preseason conference favorite, as it heads to Richmond, Va. for an 11 a.m. tip against VCU at the Siegel Center.
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About the Mountaineers
Last Time Out
Appalachian defeated Lees-McRae in its lone exhibition, 82-49, on Wednesday in the Holmes Center. Eleven of 12 players scored while
Maya Calder (14 points),
Lainey Gosnell (12 points), and
Pre Stanley (10 points) scoring in double figures.
Bayley Plummer led the team in rebounds with 10.
Season Outlook
After returning four of five starters and 11 letterwinners, App State was picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt, while
Bayley Plummer (second team) and
Pre Stanley (third team) were selected to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Team. Returning for App are seven of their top nine scorers, five of their top six rebounders and five of their top six assist leaders.
Ashley Polacek led the team and all collegiate players from Canada in assists at a rate of 4.4 per game.
Lainey Gosnell averaged a career-high 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds per game. She led the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) during league action.
Pre Stanley did her damage in the month of March and April, turning in 17.1 points on a 51.6 percent shooting clip, helping App go 6-1 over the last seven
games of the season. She was named the WBI MVP after posting averages of 19.3, points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the four contests. Returning for the Mountaineers are
Brooke Bigott,
Maya Calder,
Armani Hampton,
Nicola Mathews and
Haile McDonald. Mathews led the team in 3-point field goal percentage, while Bigott was sixth on the team in assists. Calder was the first player since 2010-11 (Ashlen Dewart) to lead
the team in field goal percentage in back-to-back seasons. Hampton will provide veteran experience and depth, while McDonald aims to give opponents problems down low.
Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
Plummer was named one of the top 20 centers in the country last week. The senior shattered the single-season rebounding mark with 463 boards, surpassing Valorie Whiteside's (1984-1988) mark of 435. The senior finished sixth in the nation in rebounds per game (12.5), fourth in total boards and led the league in the Sun Belt in both categories. She became one of eight players in conference history to lead the league in rebounding in back-to-back seasons and the first since 2012-13. put up five 20-rebound performances including the last three games of the season in the WBI Tournament. Her six career games with at least 20 off the glass are first in program history. She posted 28 games with at least 10 rebounds, highlighted by a streak of 15 straight games with double-figure rebounds, which at one point was the longest streak in the nation. She is 10 rebounds shy of joining Whiteside (1,369 rebounds) and Anna Freeman (1,008 rebounds) to grab 1,000-career rebounds.
Top Turnarounds
Tuesday's matchup puts two of the top-six most improved teams in the nation, as VCU was tied for first and App State was tied for sixth. Both teams made the postseason, while the Apps and Rams were two of the six programs to go from single-digit victories in 2017-18 to at least 20 victories in 2018-19.
Five Things to Watch
- App State was 20-0 when it allowed 70 or fewer points last season. See if the defense can step up and limit VCU offensive opportunities.
- Two of
Ashley Polacek's highest scoring performances of 26 and 27 points, respectively, came on the road. See if the redshirt-senior can get it going on offense.
- The bench averaged 19.5 points on the road (14.9 at home), including 46 points at Davidson last season. Watch if the reserves can give the team a spark on Tuesday.
- VCU was 22nd in the country last season in free throw attempts. See if App can keep the Rams from getting to the line.
- Stanley ended the season by scoring at least 15 points in seven straight games. Watch if the junior can get off to a fast start for the Black and Gold.
Scouting VCU
- Like App State, VCU was one of the most improved teams in the nation, where its 14.5 game improvement was first in the country, going from seven to 24 wins.
- The Rams went 24-10 en route to a regular-season A-10 championship and a WNIT berth.
- VCU was picked to win the A-10 after returning all five starters and its top nine scorers.
- Head coach Bethy O'Boyle is in her fifth season and was named the A-10 Coach of the Year last season.
- The Rams' defense helped their successful turnaround as they were ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
- VCU posted an impressive 13-1 mark at home with a 10-game win streak on its home floor going into the contest on Tuesday.
Series History
The all-time series is tied up at 4-4, while it's the first matchup between the two foes since 2007. App State fell to VCU, 72-53 on the road. Appalachian is 1-3 on the Rams' home floor.
What's Next
The three-game road trip to start the season continues on Wednesday, Nov. 13 against Elon.
