TROY, Ala. - Appalachian State women's basketball fell to Troy, 84-55, on Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena in the second of two Sun Belt games to open league action.
Appalachian falls to 3-10 (0-2 SBC) and Troy improves to 11-2 (2-0 SBC) on the season.
Ashley Polacek highlighted the App offense with a game-high 22 points on nine field goals and a trio of 3-pointers. It's the third game this season with at least 20, which all have come on the road. It also ties her career high (2018-19) with three 20-point performances.
Pre Stanley rounded out the leading scorers with 12 points and
Bayley Plummer grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, scored six points and blocked three shots.
Plummer's layup and a trifecta by Polacek gave the Black and Gold an early 5-2 lead with 7:39 left in the opening period. Both teams shot less than 25 percent in the opening minutes of the game. As the game went on, Troy closed the frame with a 16-5 run to take an 18-10 advantage going into the second quarter.
Despite the Trojans, App State stayed within striking distance, slicing the gap to five after trailing by 11.
Brooke Bigott hit a 3-pointer before consecutive field goals by Polacek brought App to within five, 30-25, after free throws by Troy. With the clock winding down, Emely Rosario hit a buzzer-beater to put Troy up 33-25.
The offense went into the half with some momentum, which carried over into the second half. Plummer's putback layup closed the gap to six, 33-27. While App went on a 6-of-8 stretch over a 3:57 span in the second and third periods, Troy's offense didn't let up as it still went up by as much as 14 during the run.
Lainey Gosnell's lone field goal brought App to within 11, 43-32. That was the closest the Mountaineers got as Troy scored the next seven points and didn't look back.
App State turned the ball over just 13 times, but eight of those miscues were in the third period when Troy had its largest margin of any quarter.
Troy was led by four players in double figures with Jasmine Robinson netting 15.
App State hosts UTA at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Holmes Center.
