BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team is set to host Norfolk State in their second home battle of the season on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center and the game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
Season tickets and
single-game tickets are available for purchase for the 2022-23 season. Four tickets to the Rock Garden at Saturday's football game against Old Dominion will be up for grabs at Thursday's game.
Last Time Out
App State defended the Holmes Center in its home opener against Division II opponent Lees-McRae on Monday, defeating the Bobcats, 67-33.
Graduate student
Brooke Bigott and redshirt-senior
Janay Sanders led the Mountaineers, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively. The pair also earned eight rebounds apiece. App State recorded 27 points off fast breaks and 24 points from the bench. In the fourth quarter, freshman Chaé Harris,
Mariah Frazier, and junior
Dane Bertolina led the Mountaineers, combining for 15 of App State's 17 points in the quarter. Freshman
Lexi Grant recorded her first career bucket to close out the game.
Last Time Against Norfolk State
In App State's only other meeting with Norfolk State, the Mountaineers defeated the Spartans, 68-61, on Nov. 25, 2012, on the final day of the ECU Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C. Courtney Freeman and Katie Mallow were the team's leading scorers, racking up 15 points apiece. Courtney Freeman also dished our four assists while Anna Freeman notched eight rebounds and went six for six from the free throw line.
Scouting Norfolk State
Norfolk State is 2-1 (0-0 MEAC) on the season, opening play with a triple-digit victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg on Nov. 7. The Spartans came up short against Penn State (Nov. 9), 67-61, before picking up a road win against the College of Charleston on Nov. 13.
Deja Francis has scored 45 points on the year, averaging 15 points per game. Francis is the Spartans' strongest free throw shooter, going 14 of 17 from the line for a percent of .824. Francis also leads the team in assists, tallying 16 and averaging 5.3 per game. Crystal White is the Spartans' leading 3-point shooter, averaging 2.7 made per game. The Spartans' top rebounder is Kierra Wheeler, who is averaging 12 per game and has totaled 36 so far this season.
Last year, Norfolk State went 17-12 (11-3 MEAC) and made an appearance in the WNIT, clashing with Drexel in the first round. The No. 2 seeded Spartans took runner-up in the MEAC Tournament after falling to No. 1 seed Howard in the championship game, picking up victories over No. 7 seed North Carolina Central and No. 3 seed Morgan State on the way to the title game. During the regular season NSU went on a six-game win-streak Jan. 10 to Feb. 7 and nabbed three more consecutive wins from Feb. 26 to Mar. 3.
Up Next
The Black and Gold will head to Morgantown, W.Va. to clash with Big 12 contender West Virginia for a battle of the Mountaineers on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
