PENSACOLA, Fla. – Faith Alston scored a career-high 24 points and
Janay Sanders added 18, but Little Rock's rebounding was too much for App State to overcome in a 70-58 quarterfinal loss at the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship.
The fourth-seeded Mountaineers (14-12) never led against the fifth-seeded Trojans (17-9), who advanced to the Sun Belt semifinals for the 14th time in the last 15 years. App State trailed by 12 points at the 5:11 mark in the third quarter before making a furious 12-0 run to tie the game at 46-46 at the 3:03 mark.
Alston's efforts on both ends of the floor were especially evident during the 12-0 run. On defense, she drew two charge calls in the open floor. On offense, she scored the first three points and the last two points of the run.
Her previous career high was 17 points against North Carolina Central in the third game of this season.
Little Rock owned a 48-25 advantage on the boards, as the Trojans routinely enjoyed multiple chances on their possessions while only allowing App State to pull down three total offensive rebounds.
"I would like to credit Little Rock and their effort on the backboard," said App State head coach
Angel Elderkin. "It's been something this season that we've continued to grow and get better … but it was a difference in the game. Defense and rebounding win in March."
Foul trouble also hampered the Black and Gold, as
Michaela Porter picked up her third foul at the 1:09 mark of the second quarter, and
A'Lea Gilbert had four fouls before halftime.
Sanders was able to drop in 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting despite losing a contact lens early and not scoring her first points until there were just over two minutes left in the first half.
Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year
Alexia Allesch pulled down nine rebounds – right around her season average – but she was held to just four points and three field-goal attempts on the afternoon.
Sali Kourouma led Little Rock with 24 points, while Dariel Johnson (10 points, 15 rebounds) and Angelique Francis (10 points, 11 rebounds) both chipped in with double-doubles.
App State has a winning record for the second straight year and third time in the last four seasons. The team will await word of any postseason opportunities in the coming days.
