BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team is set to open competition at the Thanksgiving Basketball Clasico Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Mountaineers will face SoCon contender Furman on Thursday and AEC member Binghamton on Friday. Both games are set for 2:30 p.m. AT (1:30 p.m. ET) tip-offs and will be available to stream for a fee on the tournament website.
Last Time Out
App State faced Norfolk State in Norfolk, Va. for its first road game of the season, falling to the Spartans, 67-53, on Nov. 16. Junior
Emily Carver netted a team-high 14 points, marking her second consecutive game as the Mountaineers' top-scorer. Sophomore
Rylan Moffitt pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. The Black and Gold tallied 14 second-chance points and scored 22 points off the bench. App State also held Norfolk State to three 3-point buckets.
Ranked Mountaineers
App State leads the Sun Belt and rounds out the top-15 in the NCAA for free throws made per game (18.67). The Black and Gold also ranks second in the conference and third in the NCAA for offensive rebounds per game, averaging 21.7. The Mountaineers also stand third in the league and 13th in the nation for rebounds per game (50.33).
Carver ranks second in the SBC and ninth in the NCAA for offensive rebounds per game (5.3). She also matches senior
Faith Alston for steals per game (2.33), both ranking fourth in the league.
App State vs. Furman | Thursday | 2:30 p.m. AT (1:30 p.m. ET)
App State last met Furman on Dec. 20, 2015 in Boone. The Mountaineers won, 92-78. Five Mountaineers scored double figures, led by Joi Jones and Madi Story, who scored 21 and 20 points, respectively. Ashley Bassett-Smith pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, while Story dished out five assists. The Black and Gold held the Paladins to four offensive rebounds and didn't allow any fast break points.
Furman is 3-2 (0-0 SoCon) on the season so far and open tournament play after a 96-62 victory over Southern Wesleyan on Monday. The Paladins opened the season with a win over UNC Asheville and also posted a win over Charleston Southern. Furman dropped contests to Georgia Tech and Coastal Carolina.
Jada Session is the Paladins' top scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game, and top rebounder, averaging 8.6 per game. Dishing out an average 4.3 assists per game is Tate Walters. Walters was a Preseason All-SoCon selection and the Paladins were picked to finish fifth in the SoCon Coaches Poll.
App State vs. Binghamton | Friday | 2:30 p.m. AT (1:30 p.m. ET)
Friday's game will mark the first meeting between App State and Binghamton.
The Bearcats are 2-3 (0-0 AEC) and will enter the tournament after a road loss to Navy on Tuesday. Binghamton tallied wins against Division II opponent Bloomsburg University and St. Bonaventure. In addition to Tuesday's loss to Navy, Binghamton dropped contests to Siena and Loyola Maryland. Binghamton will open competition at the Thanksgiving Basketball Clasico with Friday's game against App State before taking on Furman on Saturday.
Ella Wanzer averages a team-high 15.2 points per game, while Genevieve Coleman averages 13.5. Coleman also boasts a free throw percentage of .938. Jadyn Weltz is the Bearcats' top rebounder, pulling down an average of 5.2 per game. She also dishes out the most assists for the Bearcats, averaging 4.0 per contest. Denai Bowman earned her second consecutive AEC Preseason All-Conference selection and the Bearcats were picked to finish fourth in the America East Preseason Poll.
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will make a stop in Davidson, N.C. to challenge Davidson at 7 p.m. on Nov. 29 before returning to Boone to host the College of Charleston at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 5. Both games will be on ESPN+.
