BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (15-12, 9-7) sent its seniors out on a high note with an 83-69 victory over Louisiana (7-20, 5-11 SBC) in the home finale on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers posted an 11-3 mark at Holmes, which is the best home record since App went 11-1 in 2011-12. In addition, the 15 wins are the most victories in the
Angel Elderkin era.
Before the game,
Madi Story and
Anna Perez Gomez were honored before the game for their dedication and commitment to the program.
Five players scored in double figures in the wire-to-wire win.
Ashley Polacek played her best game at home, scoring a team-high 15 points and dished out a game-best eight assists.
Lainey Gosnell registered her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, capping off a two-game stretch where she averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 56 percent from the field.
Madi Story was one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards.
Bayley Plummer scored 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added six off the glass. Her streak of 15 straight games of 10 or more boards was snapped, which was the second-longest active streak in the country going into Saturday.
Defensively, the Apps held Ty'Reona Doucet in check to just eight points on 3-of-7 shooting and one rebound. In the first matchup, Doucet scored 28 points and 16 rebounds.
App State started the game 6-of-7 from the field en route to a 15-5 start in the first 4:52 of the period. Polacek and Plummer scored the final two buckets to give App a 19-11 lead. The Black and Gold went 8-of-13 from the field while limiting to Louisiana to 38.5 percent from the floor.
Maya Calder gave the Black and Gold a spark with six of her 11 points in the first period.
The defense kept the foot on the pedal in the second quarter. Louisiana shot only 4-of-13 from the field. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Story and
Tierra Wilson and a pair of free throws from Gosnell pushed an eight-point lead to 16, 29-13.
Dominique Jeffery later hit two free throws that gave the Black and Gold a 37-19 advantage with 1:37 left in the half. After Louisiana hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 15, Story ended the stanza with a jumper to give the Apps a 39-22 lead at the break.
The Apps were never threatened in the second half, as they took their largest lead in the fourth quarter, 75-51, when
Pre Stanley hit a free throw.
App State shot an impressive 48.2 percent from the floor, which is the highest number at home during conference play. The Mountaineers also dominated the glass with a 45-28 advantage. The plus-17 rebounding edge is also a conference best.
App State will finish the season in Alabama on the road. The Mountaineers face Troy on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in Troy, Ala.
Tip-Ins
- App State is 14-0 this season when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points.
- The 83 points by the Mountaineers are their highest total against Louisiana.
- Gosnell and Polacek were a team-high plus-26 in the win. Gosnell led the team with a PER of 19.
- App State has outrebounded its opponents in all 15 wins.
