BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team will host Sun Belt newcomer Southern Miss at the Holmes Convocation Center on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers return to Holmes for the first time in the new year after a four-game road stretch. The Black and Gold capped its travels with a win against Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. on Saturday, downing the Eagles 96-88 and matching its highest scoring total in an SBC victory. Redshirt senior
Janay Sanders led the Mountaineers with a season and team-high 26 points, as all five starters accounted for at least 15 points each.
Sun Belt Player of the Week
Sophomore
Emily Carver earned her first career Sun Belt Player of the Week accolade for her performances at JMU and Georgia Southern. Carver recorded a career and team-high 22 points against JMU on Jan. 12, which included a career-high five treys. On Jan. 14 against Georgia Southern, the Asheville, N.C. native fell one point shy of her new career high, netting 21 points and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds for a double-double. Carver also shot 5-of-6 from the 3-point line, and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Around the Conference
For the season as a whole, App State ranks third in the SBC for 3-pointers made, averaging 7.2 per game, and fourth in the league for scoring, averaging 70 points per game. Sanders checks in at sixth in the conference for scoring for the season and for league-only play.
In conference-only action, App State ranks second in the league for 3-pointers made, with an average of 7.8 per contest. The Mountaineers also check in at third for team field goal percentage (.424), team 3-point percentage (.351), and steals (averaging 9.67 per game). App State also stands fifth in the league for scoring, netting an average of 68.5 points per game. Individually, Carver stands fourth for 3-pointers per game, sinking an average of 2.8 per game, and fifth in the league for 3-point field goal percentage (.405).
Last Time Against Southern Miss
App State last met with Southern Miss on Dec. 2, 2001 in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Mountaineers fell, 61-48, in their sole meeting with the Lady Eagles.
Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss is 12-5 (5-1 SBC) so far this season and is second in the Sun Belt standings. The Lady Eagles edged out Troy, 77-75 and defeated South Alabama on the road in the opening weekend of SBC play. After a four-game home stretch where they collected wins over Louisiana, Arkansas State, and ULM, and posted a loss to JMU, the Lady Eagles will kick off a four-game road stretch in Boone. The Lady Eagles have won their last seven of eight games spanning from Dec. 16 to Jan. 14.
In league-only standings, Southern Miss checks in a second for steals, averaging 11.83 per contest. The Lady Eagles stand fifth for team field goal percentage (.414), team free throw percentage (.711), and assists (averaging 13.33 per game). In the combined team rebounds category, Southern Miss ranks sixth, averaging 39 per conference contest.
The Lady Eagles' top scorer is Domonique Davis, who averages 18.1 points per game. Davis has a field goal percentage of .417 and free throw percentage of .707. She also leads the team in assists, dishing out an average 3.8 per game. Davis stands third in the league for scoring and steals, as well as fifth for assists this season. In league-only action, Davis stands fifth in the conference for steals, followed by Lani Cornfield, who ranks sixth. Southern Miss' top rebounder is Femi Funeus, who averages 5.8 rebounds per game.
Southern Miss went 18-12 (9-8 C-USA) last year. In the C-USA championships, the No. 3 seeded Lady Eagles defeated No. 6 seed FIU in the second round before falling to No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals. During regular season conference action, Southern Miss recorded four consecutive wins from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7, downing Rice, FIU, Florida Atlantic, and UTSA. The Lady Eagles went on a five game win-streak in non-conference play between Nov. 27 and Dec. 19.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will host Coastal Carolina on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets will be $5 for all fans as part of App State's Everyone is a Kid Day. There will also be free "I don't want to grow up, I'm an App State Kid" available for the first 100 fans. The game will also be broadcasted on ESPN+.
