BOONE, N.C. – Four Mountaineers scored in double figures as App State kept its unbeaten home record alive to start the 2021-22 season with an 81-53 victory over East Tennessee State on Wednesday.
Michaela Porter led App State (5-3) with 17 points.
Alexia Allesch tallied her first double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and
Brooke Bigott and
Emily Carver added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
A tight game early turned into a 13-point App State advantage by halftime thanks to an 11-2 run to close the half. That run was capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Carver and Porter for a big momentum boost heading into the locker room.
"One of the things we've been practicing with our group is going two-for-one at the end of quarters, so it was great to see it in fruition," said head coach
Angel Elderkin. "When we get the ball, we try to go quick so we can get another possession and the quarter, and it just so happened we were able to hit two 3's in that span."
The momentum stayed on the Mountaineers' side at the start of the second half when Elderkin's team came out firing on all cylinders. They put together a 13-0 run to extend their lead to 26 points, mixing in 3-pointers with Fastbreak layups off turnovers and stellar free-throw shooting when they got fouled.
App State shot a season-high 81 percent from the charity stripe (17 of 21) to go with 44 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers – who lead all Sun Belt teams and rank top-35 nationally in made 3-pointers – matched a season high with 12 treys.
"It was definitely one of our top (shooting performances so far)," Elderkin said. "I challenged our players to get in the gym and do extra, so they've been getting in free throws and getting up shots with their coaches. It's great to see it pay off in an atmosphere like today."
It was a strong, balanced performance for an App State team that only needed five points from its top season scorer
Janay Sanders (in 17 minutes) and three points from another player averaging double digits this season,
Faith Alston. Twelve of the 14 Mountaineers who saw action were able to contribute to the team's season high-tying 81 points.
ETSU (1-7) was led by Carly Hooks' game-high 18 points and 12 points and 10 rebounds from Jamir Huston.
The Black and Gold are a perfect 4-0 at the Holmes Convocation Center this year have won five of their first eight games for the first time since the 2018-19 season when they went on to compile a 22-14 record and win the WBI postseason tournament.
App State is on the road for its next game, a Sunday tilt at Gardner-Webb.
