JONESBORO, Ark. – In a game that featured 14 ties, 12 lead changes and 190 total points, it was the home team Arkansas State that prevailed 98-92 over App State in the Mountaineers' Sun Belt Conference opener Thursday.
Angel Elderkin's team, which had its last four games canceled due to a combination of COVID protocols and injuries and hadn't played since Dec. 21, did not need any time to shake off rust on the offensive end, scoring the most points by an App State squad since scoring 94 twice in the 2018-19 season.
Janay Sanders led six Mountaineers (6-8, 0-1 Sun Belt) in double figures with 19 points.
Alexia Allesch tied her App State career highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Other double-digit scorers were
Emily Carver with 14,
Faith Alston with 12 and
Brooke Bigott and
Michaela Porter with 10 apiece.
Trailing 92-89 with less than a minute left in the game, App State turned a steal into a Porter 3-pointer to knot the game at 92-all with 41 seconds left. The Red Wolves' Jireh Washington scored the game's final six points – part of her game-high 25 total – to seal the win for the home team.
It was a tight game throughout, as neither side led by more than eight points in a back-and-forth affair.
Eleven Mountaineers saw action, and App State's bench outscored Arkansas State's bench by a 39-12 margin.
Both offenses eclipsed 50 percent shooting from the field. A 20-for-22 performance from the free-throw line helped the Red Wolves (9-7, 2-1) finish with the win in the incredibly even matchup.
App State will stay in Arkansas for a Saturday contest at Little Rock. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, televised on ESPN+.
