BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team is set to travel to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on new Sun Belt contender James Madison on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
App State clinched its first road win of the season and first win of the new year with a 59-58 victory over Arkansas State on Jan. 7 in Jonesboro, Ark. Redshirt senior
Janay Sanders drained a team-high 13 points on the afternoon and led the Mountaineers with three assists. Sanders has been the Mountaineers' top scorer in seven of 15 games this season, with Saturday's game marking her third consecutive game as top scorer. Sophomore
Emily Carver pulled down a team-high six rebounds in addition to netting nine points. For four consecutive games, Carver has served as App State's top rebounder. Saturday's game also marked freshman
Alexis Black's first collegiate start. Black scored eight points and went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Around the Conference
App State is third in the league for made 3-pointers, averaging 6.8 per game this season thus far. The Mountaineers check in at sixth in scoring, averaging 68.7 points per game. Sanders stands eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per outing.
In conference play, the Mountaineers check in at third in the SBC in team field goal percentage (.410), made 3-pointers (6.5 per game) and steals (9.5 per game). App State also stands fifth in team 3-point percentage (.302). Carver and junior
Faith Alston rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in the steals category for league-only play. Carver is also eighth in the rebounding category, averaging 7.3 per conference clash, and rounds out the top-10 in 3-pointers per SBC game. Sanders is seventh in field goal percentage (.420) and 10th for scoring in Sun Belt play.
Last Time Against James Madison
App State last met JMU on Nov. 30, 1991, falling to the Dukes, 84-58, in Harrisonburg. JMU holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison is 14-2 on the season and sits atop the Sun Belt standings with a 4-0 league record. The Dukes are also 5-2 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center. After falling to a No. 13 ranked UNC squad, the Dukes have won their last 11 consecutive games, including conference clashes with Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, Marshall and Southern Miss. JMU's only other loss this season was its season opener against Maine.
The Dukes' leading scorer is Kiki Jefferson, who averages 18 points per game. Jefferson boasts a field goal percentage of .439 (sixth in the SBC) and free throw percentage of .821 (fourth in the SBC for the year and conference play). Jefferson also leads the team in rebounds (8.3 per game) leading the SBC for league-only play and ranking second in the conference for the season. Jefferson, who ranks fourth in the SBC for assists in conference-only play, leads the Dukes with an average of 3.3 per game. Peyton McDaniel has the highest 3-point percentage of the team at .432 and ranks third in the SBC for 3-pointers per game for the season thus far.
Last year, JMU went 14-15 (10-8 CAA). The Dukes opened the 2021-22 campaign with an 84-69 victory over Virginia before falling to No. 4 Maryland. JMU posted a pair of three-game win streaks during the season and capped the year with a win over Delaware.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will close out their four-game road stretch on Saturday, challenging Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. in Statesboro, Ga.
