BOONE, N.C. - App State women's basketball suffered an 80-60 decision to Troy on Friday evening at the Holmes Center.
App State fell to 8-7 and 5-4 in Sun Belt action, while Troy improved to 10-5 and 6-1 in league play.
Lainey Gosnell scored a season-high 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor. She was one of three Mountaineers to lead the team with seven rebounds.
Michaela Porter was the other student-athlete in double figures with 10 points and grabbed seven off the glass.
Brooke Bigott rounded out the leading scorers with nine points. The junior also tied a season-high with five assists and pulled down seven boards.
With Troy lead 10-5 in the early goings of the first quarter, the Apps put together a 15-4 run over the last 5:39 of the first period to take a 20-14 lead going into the second frame.
Gosnell started a 10-0 surge with three straight points before Porter, and
Tierra Wilson hit consecutive field goals.
Faith Alston capped off the spurt with one of her two trifectas to give App its largest lead of eight points.
Appalachian stayed in front in the early part of the second period followed by a Gosnell 3-pointer to give the hosts a 26-20 lead. However, Troy scored 15 of the next 16 points to take a 35-27 advantage. Alston's halfcourt shot at the buzzer went in to make the score 40-34 in Troy's favor.
Wilson's trey and a pair of free throws from Gosnell to start the second sliced the lead to one, 40-39. After App and Troy traded 3-pointers to keep the score at one point, the visitors pulled away by hitting six of its next 10 shots and held App scoreless for a 3:14 span in the middle of the third quarter.
Troy posted an 18-7 in offensive rebounds and scored 20 second-chance points to App State's four. Also, the Trojans took advantage of 22 App miscues into 23 points. Four players scored in double figures for Troy with Tiyah Johnson notching 17 points and 10 rebounds. Alexus Dye poured in 10 points with 11 off the glass.
App State returns to action tomorrow at 4 p.m. to round out the weekend against the Trojans.
