BOONE, N.C. - App State women's basketball hosts Charlotte in the regular-season opener on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Holmes Center.
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About the Mountaineers
Season Outlook
The Mountaineers return three of five starts in
Brooke Bigott,
Lainey Gosnell and
Pre Stanley. The trio combined for 27.5 points while Stanley and Gosnell both averaged double figures at 14.1 and 10.2 points, respectively. Gosnell led the team with 45 trifectas and is the returning leading rebounder after averaging a personal-high 5.7 rebounds per game. Stanley posted a team-high 1.7 steals per game, making her one of five players in the Sun Belt to lead their team in scoring and steals. Bigott led the team shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and finished second in assists per game at 2.2.
Tierra Wilson is back after returning from a lower-body injury. The redshirt-junior led the the team with 57 3-pointers her sophomore year as the spark off the bench.
Michaela Porter returns as well, where she ended the season averaging 10 points over the final seven contests of the year. Also looking to make an impact is
Janay Sanders, who sat out after transferring from LaSalle. Sanders led the Explorers in her only season averaging 3.0 assists per game. Nine letterwinners are back overall including
Haile McDonald,
Jackie Christ,
Maya Calder and
Emma Newton. The newcomers are made up of
Faith Alston,
Dane Bertolina,
Zahra Daniel and
Bailey Trumm.
A Win Would
- Give App State its first season-opening win since 2012-13.
- Hand Charlotte its first season-opening loss since 2009-10.
- Snap a three-game skid against the 49ers.
Five Things to Watch
- See if the Mountaineers can protect the rock on Wednesday, as opponents were 3-17 when committing more than 13 turnovers against the Charlotte defense.
- See if
Lainey Gosnell can get it going on Wednesday, as the senior ended her junior year averaging 19 points, nine rebounds, 56 percent from the field, and 56.3 percent from beyond the arc in the final two games of the year.
- Watch if the Black and Gold can make its open shots from outside the arc. Opponents made an average of 8.3 trifectas in nine wins compared to 2.7 in losses.
- App State will have to keep the 49ers off the offensive glass. Charlotte boasts a roster of six players taller than 6 ft, while it averaged 13.4 offensive rebounds last season.
- See if the Apps can get the ball moving on offense, as they were 8-3 when tallying 12 or more assists last season.
Stanley Named Preseason All-Sun Belt
The senior came off a year in which she averaged a personal-high 14.1 points per game, which was sixth in the Sun Belt and the most since the 2014-15 campaign (Maryah Sydnor - 17.5 ppg). Her career and team-high 108 free throws made were fifth in the league, while she was one of five players in the conference to lead their team in scoring and steals per game. Stanley's seven 20-point performances were fifth in the league, highlighted by tying her career-best with 28 points in a double-overtime win at Coastal Carolina. App State was picked to finish fourth in the East Division, which consists of Troy, South Alabama, Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina.
Dynamic Duo
• The duo of Stanley and Gosnell return as the fourth highest returning duo in the Sun Belt.
• The senior teammates averaged a combined 24.2 points per game.
• The highest scoring duo is the tandem of Savannah Jones/Antoinette Lewis at 27.5 ppg.
Scouting Charlotte
- Charlotte finished with a solid 21-9 mark last season.
- If it wasn't for COVID-19, the 49ers would have had a solid chance of making it to a postseason tournament.
- CLT is one of two teams on App State's non-conference slate that won at least 20 games last season.
- The 49ers were picked to finish fourth in the Conference USA Preseason Poll, while Mariah Linney was named to the all-conference team.
- CLT returns 10 players from last season, including Linney, who hit a team-high 55 3-pointers in 2019-20.
- Jazmin Harris is the leading returning rebounder after averaging 5.7 last season.
- Ten of the 13 players for the 49ers are underclassmen.
- CLT will be one of the taller teams App plays this season, as six players are 6'0 or taller.
Series History
App State and Charlotte meet for the first time since the 2013 campaign in the WNIT, where the 49ers won the contest 79-61. Two of App State's wins are in Boone.
What's Next
App State will host UNC Asheville on Sunday at 2 p.m.
