BOONE, N.C. - App State women's basketball fell to UTA 82-60 on Thursday at the Holmes Center in the Sun Belt opener.
Pre Stanley poured in a team-best 14 points with five boards, while
Lainey Gosnell (12 points) and
Haile McDonald (12 points) scored in double figures. Gosnell posted a team-high six boards. McDonald came off the bench to tied a career high in points.
Brooke Bigott posted nine points with a season-high five rebounds.
UTA got off to a hot start in the opening quarter, shooting 8-of-12 from deep and 65 percent in the first. The Mavs hit a season-high 11 3-pointers on a 45.8 percent shooting after coming into the game posting only a 24.4 clip from long range.
After the Mavs went ahead by 26 late in the first half, 43-27, the Apps pieced together a 13-5 run over a 7:23 span to slice the deficit to eight, 48-40, in the third period. Four straight free throws by Gosnell and Bigott dwindled the UTA lead to single digits.
Two clean looks by Appalachian from deep in consecutive trips on offense would have brought the UTA lead to a possession, but the Apps were unable to convert. The Mavs grew the lead back to double digits for the rest of the game to pull away for the win.
Appalachian shot a season-high 83.3 percent from the charity stripe, going 15-of-18. The hosts held a 36-24 advantage on the glass including a 12-5 edge on offense with 13 second-chance points.
Claire Chastain led four Mavericks in scoring with 21 points.
The Mountaineers seek their first Sun Belt win of the season on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Texas State.
