BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team will round out its December road stretch in Macon, Ga. on Saturday as the Mountaineers clash with Mercer. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers fell short to the College of Charleston, 83-47, on the road on Dec. 17. Seniors
Zada Porter and
Asjah Inniss combined for 16 points, each contributing eight. The duo also combined for five assists. Inniss also knocked down two of App State's six treys. Juniors
Emily Hege and
Elena Pericic each grabbed five rebounds. The Mountaineers netted 27 points off the bench.
Around the Mountain
Senior
Emily Carver remains App State's top scorer, averaging 10.7 points per contest and is followed by Porter (9.0 points per game) and senior
Mara Neira (8.1 points per game). Porter rounds out the Sun Belt's top-five in assists per game (3.8) and Neira ranks fifth in 3-point percentage (34.6%) and eighth in 3-pointers per game (2). Neira also leads the team in the steals category with 14 on the year. Junior
Rylan Moffitt leads the team in rebounds, pulling down 4.7 rebounds per contest. She also matches with Pericic in the blocks category, with each making four blocks on the season.
App State ranks third in the Sun Belt and 36th in the NCAA in bench points per game (28.3). The Mountaineers also rank third in the league in field goal percentage (42.6%). The Black and Gold stand fourth in the SBC in defensive rebounds per game (27) and round out the league's top-five in rebounds per game (39.89) and 3-pointers per game (6.7).
Series History vs. Mercer
App State leads the series with Mercer, 4-1. The Mountaineers and Bears last met on Dec. 21, 2023 in Boone, where the Mountaineers ushered in a jolly holiday with a 81-78 victory. A trio of Mountaineers netted double figures, led by
Faith Alston, who scored 31 points and dished out a team high six assists.
J'Mani Ingram netted 17 points, while Moffitt grabbed a team high eight rebounds. The Mountaineers shot 61.5% from the arc and 71.4% from the line.
Scouting Mercer
Mercer's top scorer is Ariana Bennett, who averages 10.1 points per contest. Bennett leads the SoCon in total free throws (39) and ranks second in free throw percentage (78%). Ashlee Locke ranks third in the SoCon in blocks (16) and blocks per game (1.23). She also ranks fourth in rebounds (94) and rounds out the top-five in rebounds per game (7.2). Additionally, Locke leads the Bears in the rebounds category, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Nahawa Diarra dishes out a team high 3.0 assists per contest.
Mercer is 4-9 (0-0 SoCon) on the season and looks to snap a four-game losing streak that has spanned from Dec. 5 to Dec. 19. The Bears have dropped contests to Charlotte, Georgia Tech, Tulane, and Jackson State this month. The Bears opened the season with a 75-52 win over UNC Asheville on Nov. 4 before dropping contests to Florida Atlantic (Nov. 9), and Western Kentucky (Nov. 12). Mercer notched victories against North Carolina A&T (Nov. 17), Charleston Southern (Nov. 22) and Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 30).
In the SoCon standings, Mercer ranks second in blocks per game (3.1) and third in free throw percentage (72.2%). The Bears also rank fourth in the conference in free throws made per game (12.62), defensive rebounds per game (24.5), and steals per game (8.2).
On the Horizon
App State is set to open Sun Belt action at 2 p.m. on Dec. 29 against Arkansas State in the Holmes Convocation Center. For Sunday's game only, fans can
purchase $2.25 tickets to the game using promo code
NEWYEAR! Fans must purchase their tickets in advance of the game for the offer.
Sunday's game will also feature a Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears or other plush animals to the game to support children in need in the greater Boone & App State communities. During halftime, fans will have the opportunity to throw their teddy bears on the court and whichever fans' hit the target on the court will receive an App State prize.
