LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – App State used a suffocating defense and an efficient second-half offense to earn its first Sun Belt victory of the season, 60-49, at Little Rock on Saturday afternoon.
The Mountaineers (7-8, 1-1 SBC) and Trojans (6-6, 1-1) were tied at 22-22 after a first-half defensive struggle before
Faith Alston scored 11 of her team-high 14 points after the break to help App State outscore Little Rock 38-27 in the second half on their way to the road win.
"This was an outstanding defensive effort from our team," said App State head coach
Angel Elderkin, whose squad dropped a 98-92 decision at Arkansas State on Thursday. "We were active on the ball and had everyone in the fight on the glass. Really proud of our team and coaching staff for our continuous commitment to growth."
A balanced offensive attack saw five Mountaineers score in double figures two days after six scored in double figures in Jonesboro. In addition to Alston's 14,
Janay Sanders scored 13,
Emily Carver and
Michaela Porter had 11, and
Alexia Allesch added 10.
Porter led the way with six rebounds, while she and Allesch notched three steals apiece. Carver knocked down three of the team's eight triples, and Alston was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
App State held the league's top scorer, Sali Kourouma, to 15 points, five below her season average, and forced 24 Little Rock turnovers on the afternoon.
The Mountaineers led 34-32 with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter before putting together an 18-5 run that extended their lead to 52-37 midway through the fourth quarter. Alston and others drained key free throws the rest of the way to hold off a Trojan comeback attempt.
After its first four games of the conference season were canceled to start the month, Elderkin's team nears the meat of league play with upcoming home games against Louisiana (Jan. 20), ULM (Jan. 22) and Coastal Carolina (Jan. 26 – education day). All games will air on ESPN+.
