BOONE, N.C. - App State women's basketball looks to build off its first Sun Belt win on Saturday when it faces Arkansas State on Thursday at 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT) inside the Convocation Center.
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Previewing the Matchup
App State and Arkansas State both are coming off wins. Appalachian is 5-1 over the last six matchups against A-State after the Red Wolves won five of the first seven contests. Four of the wins by App were in single digits. The Mountaineers have seen some big performances by its current junior class against A-State, highlighted by a 27-point performance by
Pre Stanley in the 2018 Sun Belt Tournament.
Lainey Gosnell canned a career-high six 3-pointers against the Red Wolves at home her freshman year. The game will feature two of the league's top-10 scorers in Stanley (6th-15.1 ppg) and Peyton Martin (9th-13.3 ppg) and three of the top-10 3-point shooters in terms of 3-point field goal percentage in Payton Tennis (4th-38.7 percent),
Brooke Bigott (7th-37.5 percent) and
Ashley Polacek (9th - 36.1 percent).
About the Mountaineers
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers came back from a 16-point deficit to force overtime and pull out a 73-65 win over Texas State. App put forth a 24-point turnaround while being led by a game-high 25 points from Stanley and a career performance from a Haile Mcdonald, scoring a personal-high 17 points and nine rebounds. App scored 55 points in the second half and overtime.
What to Watch for
- McDonald averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 62.5 percent from the field in two games against UTA and Texas State. See if the sophomore can continue to produce for the Black and Gold.
- App State scored a season-high 18 fast break points in the win over Texas State. See if the Apps can get out in transition.
- The Mountaineers got off to slow starts against UTA and Texas State. See if they can get off to a better start as opponents have outscored A-State by 68 points in the first quarter.
- Through four league contests, Arkansas State is forcing an average of 20.5 turnovers per game, which is first in the league. Watch if the Mountaineers can protect the ball.
- Arkansas State is also allowing nearly 15 offensive rebounds per game in conference play. See if the Black and Gold can crash the offensive glass for second-chance opportunities.
Scouting Arkansas State
- Arkansas State is on a season-long three-game win streak after sweeping the Georgia schools.
- The Red Wolves boast a 4-1 record at home.
- Peyton Martin leads three Red Wolves in scoring averaging 13.3 points per game. Jireh Washington (12.6 ppg) and Morgan Wallace (10.1 ppg) round out the leading scorers.
- Wallace leads the team in rebounding at a clip of 8.1 per game.
- Aiding the 3-1 start to league play for the Red Wolves is their ability to turn teams over, forcing 20.5 per game, which is first in the conference during league action.
- Arkansas State is 34th in the country in free throw attempts and fourth in the Sun Belt.
- The Red Wolves are in their first year in the Matt Daniel era.
- Daniel was at Marshall for five seasons from 2012-17.
Series History
- The Mountaineers are 7-6 all-time against Arkansas State.
- Appalachian has won the last two contests in the series.
- A-State is 3-1 in Jonesboro against App.
- The lone win against A-State on its home floor was an 81-72 victory in overtime during the 2016-17 campaign.
What's Next
App will return to Boone to face one of the top teams in the Sun Belt in Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Holmes Center.
