BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team is set to open its four-game homestand with a clash against Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Thursday's game is Luau Night and App State-themed luau shirts will be available to the first 75 students. Leis will also be available for fans.
Tickets are $5 when purchased prior to Thursday's game and there will be free parking available in the Holmes Parking Deck.
Last Time Out
App State recorded a 68-64 victory over Marshall in Huntington, WVa. on Saturday. Senior
Zada Porter was the Mountaineers' top scorer, netting 15 points on the day in addition to dishing out five assists. She also drained a perfect 3-of-3 from the arc, grabbed four rebounds, and made a team-high four steals. Leading the team in the rebounds category was junior
Elena Pericic, who pulled down seven. She also netted 14 points. Senior
Emily Carver scored 10 points, netting nine of her points off treys. She also grabbed four rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.
The Black and Gold drained 11 3-point buckets for a second game this season, shooting 42.3% from the arc in addition to 81.3% from the line.
Around the Mountain
Porter and Carver remain App State's top scorers, averaging 10.6 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Porter also leads the team in assists, dishing out an average of 3.4 per contest and rounds out App State's top-three rebounders, averaging 4.3 rebounds per contest. In the rebounds category, Pericic and junior
Rylan Moffitt continue to lead the Mountaineers, pulling down an average of 4.8 and 4.4 rebounds per game, respectively. Additionally, Moffitt leads the team in blocked shots with 14 on the season and senior
Mara Neira leads the team in steals with 1.8 per game.
In conference action, App State leads the league in assists, averaging 18.43 per conference clash, and stands second in 3-point percentage (36.3%). The Mountaineers also rank fourth in scoring offense (72.1), field goal percentage (43.3%), made 3-pointers (8.3), and team defensive rebounds (27.7) in conference play. Tafisi remains the Sun Belt's leader in the assists category, averaging 5.9 per conference contest. Pericic and Moffit rank sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.1) and blocked shots (1.3), respectively.
The Black and Gold leads the league and rounds out the NCAA's top-40 in assists per game (16.6) for the season. The Mountaineers rank second in the SBC and 15th nationally in bench points per game (28.8). App State also ranks second in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (43.1%) and 3-point percentage (34.1%). The Black and Gold stands fourth in the league in defensive rebounds per game (27.1) and 3-pointers per game (7.5). Individually, Neira rises to fourth in the Sun Belt in 3-point percentage (36.5%) and seventh in 3-pointers per game (2.06). Porter moves to sixth in the league in assists per game.
Series History vs. Old Dominion
App State and Old Dominion last met on Jan. 15 in Norfolk, Va. The Mountaineers fell short to ODU, 78-71. Porter led the Mountaineers, matching her career high of 23 points as well as her career high of 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. For a second game this season, Porter was the team's top scorer as well as the top rebounder. She also dished out six assists. Moffitt made a career- and team-high five blocks in addition to her 15 points and seven rebounds. Carver netted 14 points while fellow senior
Eleyana Tafisi dished out a team-high nine assists. In the series history between the Mountaineers and Monarchs, ODU holds a steady 6-1 lead.
Scouting Old Dominion
Since App State and Old Dominion's clash last Wednesday, Old Dominion dropped a contest to Texas State, 65-60, in Norfolk, Va. ODU is 13-6 on the season and 5-2 in conference play. Old Dominion received votes in this week's Collegeinsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top-25 and had received votes in last week's poll.
En'Dya Buford continues to lead the Monarchs, averaging 12.5 points per contest. She also remains the team's leader in the assists category, dishing out an average of 4.0 per game. Leading ODU in rebounds is Simone Cunningham (6.5 per game) and Buford (6.2 per game).
In conference-only action, the Monarchs lead the league in offensive rebounds (17.9) and ranks third in scoring offense (73.4) as well as combined team rebounds (44.1). Cunningham ranks third in rebounds, averaging 4.3 per conference contest, as well as fourth in blocked shots, averaging 1.6 per conference game. Buford checks in at third in the assists category, averaging 5.3 per conference clash.
For the season, Old Dominion leads the league and ranks fifth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (17.2). ODU also ranks second in the SBC and 12th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (43.42). Buford leads the league in free throws (80) and steals (49). She also ranks second in steals per game (2.58), third in assists (76), fourth in free throw percentage (80%) and rounds out the league's top-five in assists per game. In the NCAA, Buford stands 26th in steals and among the top-40 in both free throws and steals per game. Cunningham leads the Sun Belt and ranks 26th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (3.8). She also rounds out the SBC's top-10 in blocks per game (0.89).
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will host Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. for Black Saturday on Jan. 25. Fans are encouraged to wear black for the game and can
purchase tickets in advance for $5. Free parking will be available in the Holmes Parking Deck.
