Women's Basketball Pushes Past Georgia Southern in Play4Kay Game

BOONE, N.C. - App State women's basketball pushed past Georgia Southern with a 77-66 win on Friday evening at the Holmes Center in the annual Play4Kay Pink Game.

App State improves to 12-11 and 9-8 in Sun Belt play. Appalachian surpasses both its overall and conference win mark from last season. Georgia Southern falls to 11-11 and 5-8 overall.

The Mountaineers' senior duo of Lainey Gosnell and Pre Stanley each scored a game-high 18 points, combining for 36 points on shooting 14-of-27 from the field. Gosnell pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the campaign. Stanley dished out six assists and grabbed four off the glass. 

Michaela Porter scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half and shot 4-for-6 after missing three of her first four shots while grabbing six boards. Brooke Bigott was efficient from the field as she hit three of her four attempts from outside the arc with 13 points. 

App State put together the last surge in what was a game of runs between the two rivals. The Mountaineers put together a 15-2 run after the Eagles stormed back from a 15-point deficit to take a 46-43 lead in the third quarter. Gosnell's trifecta tied up the contest before Porter scored eight of the next 12 points to give the Apps a 58-48 edge going into the fourth. 

The Mountaineers hit their first four shot attempts of the fourth period to stretch the lead to as much as 17 following a Faith Alston layup. The Apps were never threatened the rest of the way en route to a fourth victory in the last five games. 

Terren Ward and Ja'nya Love-Hill led four Eagles in double figures with 12 points each. 

Defensively, the Apps forced 18 GS turnovers for 23 points and held one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference to a 2-of-11 showing.

App State returns to action tomorrow in search of a weekend sweep and a winning season for the second time in the last three seasons. The Mountaineers will tip at 4 p.m. against the Eagles for Senior Day. Maya Calder, Tierra Wilson, Michaela Porter, Pre Stanley, and Lainey Gosnell will be recognized before the game. 

Tip-Ins

• Gosnell led the team with a plus/minus of plus-21.
• The four trifectas by Gosnell is a season-high.
• App State is 6-1 in Stanley's career when she dishes out five or more assists.
• The Mountaineers are 7-2 when they record 20 or more points off turnovers. 
• The 30-made field goals are a season-best.
• App State is 9-0 when it records 70 or more points. 
• The Apps are 4-2 when hitting at least 10 or more 3-pointers and 4-0 when shooting at least 40 percent from beyond the arc.