BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team will host James Madison at 2 p.m. on Saturday for Senior Day and its last home game of the regular season. The Mountaineers will celebrate seniors
Faith Alston,
Taylor Lewis, and
Mariah Frazier.
Senior Spotlights
Alston has appeared in 107 games and has made 69 starts in her four years at App State. The Centerville, Va. native is the Mountaineers' leading scorer this season, having recorded double figures in 25 of 27 games. Over the course of her career, she has recorded 1,141 points and registered her 1,000th career point on Jan. 20, 2024 against Georgia Southern. She also has four career double-doubles, 330 career rebounds, and 380 career assists. Alston netted a career high 31 points against Mercer on Dec. 21, 2023 and as a junior, was tabbed preseason Third-Team All-Sun Belt for the 2022-23 campaign.
Lewis has made six starts and 59 appearances while at App State. The Columbia, S.C. native joined the Mountaineers for the 2021-22 season after playing at Middle Tennessee State. At App State, Lewis recorded a career-high 18 points on Feb. 17, 2024 against Georgia State and has netted 194 points. She has also recorded 161 rebounds, 38 steals, 31 assists and 31 blocks in the Black and Gold.
In her three years at App State, Frazier has made 30 starts and 79 appearances in the Black and Gold and will graduate with her master's degree. Frazier has been an asset to the Mountaineers' defense in her time in Boone, recording 73 career steals and 20 career blocks over the course of her career. The Whitsett, N.C. native has netted 239 points, pulled down 227 rebounds, and dished out 67 assists for the Mountaineers. This season, she set and matched her single-game career high of 10 points.
In total, the trio has logged 5,546 minutes on the court for the Mountaineers, with three regular season games left in the 2023-24 campaign.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers fell short to Old Dominion, 81-62, on Thursday. Junior
Emily Carver netted a team-high 14 points on the night and accounted for three of the Mountaineers' six treys. Alston and sophomore
Alexis Black netted 10 points apiece and shot perfectly from the line, combining for 14 of App State's 26 free throws. Alston also dished out a team-high six assists. Frazier and sophomore
Rylan Moffitt each pulled down eight rebounds.
Ranked Mountaineers
In Sun Belt-only action, Alston ranks second in assists and fourth in scoring, while Moffitt stands third in blocks. App State checks in at second for made 3-pointers and third for team 3-point percentage in league only play. The Mountaineers also rank fourth in scoring offense and round out the top-five for blocked shots, steals, and assists.
For the season, Carver checks in at second in the SBC for 3-pointers per game while Alston ranks second in the assists category and rounds out the top-five in the scoring category. Moffitt stands fourth in the rebounding and blocks categories. App State ranks third in the league for made 3-pointers and rounds out the top-five for scoring offense on the season.
Last Time Against James Madison
The Mountaineers fell to James Madison, 78-61, in Harrisonburg, Va. on Jan. 27. Moffitt led the Mountaineers with 16 points and seven rebounds. Fellow sophomores Chaé Harris and Black netted 13 points apiece. Harris and Carver combined for four of the Mountaineers' six treys. App State held JMU to three treys.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison is 19-9 (11-4 SBC) on the season and enters Saturday's contest after opening a four-game road-stretch with a 71-65 victory over Georgia State in Statesboro, Ga. Since meeting the Mountaineers in late January, the Dukes fell to Georgia State before picking up victories over Marshall and South Alabama. JMU dropped contests to MAC opponent Ball State and Georgia State before recovering with a home win against Coastal Carolina.
Three Dukes average double-figures this season, led by Peyton McDaniel, who averages 14.4 points per game. Following McDaniel is Kseniia Kozlova (12.2 points per game) and Jamia Hazell (10.0 points per game). McDaniel is the Dukes' top rebounder, pulling down 6.9 per contest. Olivia Mullins leads the team in the assists category.
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will wrap up the regular season with a pair of road games against Troy and Arkansas State. The Black and Gold will take on Troy at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) on Feb. 28 in Troy, Ala. before heading to Jonesboro, Ark. to challenge Arkansas State at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) on March 1.
