Women's Basketball Aims for 2-0 Mark at Hatter Day Classic

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State women's basketball will participate in the 32nd annual Mad Hatter Classic hosted by Stetson in Deland, Fla. The Apps will 
face Bethune-Cookman on Thursday at 3 p.m. before it faces Canisius on Friday at 1 p.m. 

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About the Mountaineers

Last Time Out
Appalachian's offense couldn't get a rhythm going in 62-35 setback to No. 24 Michigan, while the defense held the 37th-best scoring offense in the country (77 ppg) to 15 points below its season average. The 62 points by Michigan is the fewest scored at home this season. In addition, the Black and Gold forced 20 UM miscues, which is the second-most in a contest this season. Haile McDonald scored eight of her career-high 11 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 5-of-6 
from the field and adding three boards. 

What to Watch For (Bethune-Cookman)
- The Wildcats force 18.6 turnovers per game. See if App State can protect the ball. In BCU's losses, foes are averaging just 10.7 turnovers per game.
- Expect Lainey Gosnell to have a bounce-back performance on Thursday. The junior has yet to score in single digits in back-to-back games this season, averaging 12 points and six rebounds when coming off a game where she scores less than 10 points.
- The defense has yet to allow a team score more than 70 points in seven of eight games this season, including 62 points against Michigan, which was the lowest at home for the Wolverines. See if the defense can limit BCU from scoring.
- In Alabama's win over BCU, the Crimson Tide shot 21-of-29 from the free throw line. In two wins for the Mountaineers, they're averaging 25 free throw attempts. See if App can get to the line against the Wildcats.
- Bethune-Cookman has recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in eight of its nine games this season. See if Appalachian can keep the Wildcats off the glass. 

Scouting Bethune-Cookman

- Bethune-Cookman is 6-3 after back-to-back losses against SEC schools, Auburn and Alabama. 
- The Wildcats recently fell to the Crimson Tide, 60-49, in Tuscaloosa. 
- Daniella Hatcher led the team in double figures with 10 points. 
- For the season, Hatcher leads the team averaging 13.1 points per game. 
- Ciara Thompson is pulling down a team-high 6.3 rebounds per contest. 
- The Wildcats received two votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 this week. 
- BCU went to the NCAA Tournament last season after capturing the MEAC Tournament championship. 
- BCU is one of the top 3-point defensive team in the nation, allowing opponents to hit just 24.1 percent from beyond the arc, which is 14th in the country. 
- The Wildcats are one of the five teams that App faces who went to the postseason. 

Series History
App State and Bethune-Cookman are meeting for the first time. 

Up Next
The Mountaineers will face Canisius in the second game of the classic tomorrow at 1 p.m. Stay tuned for a full preview following the game.