BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team remains on the road for its second game of 2025 as it takes on Southern Miss at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Saturday. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
App State rose to 2-0 in Sun Belt action and 6-6 on the season after an 82-67 road victory over South Alabama on Thursday. Senior
Zada Porter led the charge for the Mountaineers, netting a career and team high 23 points. Porter sank 10-of-11 from the charity stripe in addition to pulling down a team high seven rebounds. She also matched her career high of four steals for a second time this season. Junior
Elena Pericic netted 16 points, knocking down 4-of-6 from the arc. Junior
Seneya Martinez netted 11 points and senior
Mara Neira netted 10 points. The duo combined for four of App State's 11 treys. Leading the Mountaineers in the assists category was senior
Eleyana Tafisi, who dished out five.
The Mountaineers shot 52.4% from the arc, 78.9% from the line, and 46.7% from the field. App State netted 37 points off turnovers compared to South Alabama's 12 and scored 29 points off the bench compared to South Alabama's nine. The Black and Gold also caused 26 Jaguar turnovers.
Around the Mountain
App State's top scorers are senior
Emily Carver (10.6 points per game), Neira (10.0 points per game), and Porter (9.5 points per game). Porter leads the Mountaineers in assists, dishing out 3.3 per contest, while Neira leads the team in steals, averaging 1.9 per contest. Junior
Rylan Moffitt and Pericic lead the team in rebounds, both averaging 4.8 rebounds per game. Moffitt also leads the team in blocks, totaling seven on the season thus far.
In conference-only rankings, Tafisi ranks third in assists (6.0). Neira stands third in steals (3.5) in addition to fourth in field goal percentage (47.8%) and 3-pointers per game (3.0). She also ranks sixth in 3-point percentage (46.2%). Porter ranks seventh in scoring (15.5 points per SBC game). After two conference matchups, App State leads the league in scoring offense (79.5) and field goal percentage (50.9%). The Black and Gold stands third in 3-point percentage (40.0%) and made 3-pointers (8.0).
For the season, Neira ranks second in the Sun Belt and 58th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (40.8%). Additionally, Neira stands second in the SBC and rounds out the NCAA's top-75 in 3-pointers per game (2.42). Neira ranks third in the league in 3-pointers with 29 on the season thus far. Porter ranks eighth in the conference in assists per game (3.3). App State leads the league and rounds out the NCAA's top-20 in bench points per game (30.4). The Black and Gold also leads the Sun Belt and rounds out the NCAA's top-80 in field goal percentage (44.2%). The Mountaineers stand second in the SBC in 3-point percentage (33.7%) and rank third in assists per game (15.4) as well as scoring offense (68.9). App State rounds out the Sun Belt's top-five in defensive rebounds per game (26.5) and 3-pointers per game (7.2).
Series History vs. Southern Miss
App State and Southern Miss have met on merely two occasions in the millennium, with the Lady Eagles leading the series, 2-0. In their last meeting, which was Jan. 19, 2023, the Mountaineers hosted the Lady Eagles, but fell short to Southern Miss, 75-68. A trio of Mountaineers scored double figures, led by Carver, who netted 23 points. Carver also accounted for six of App State's nine treys, shooting 75.0% from the line.
Faith Alston, who netted 17 points, grabbed a team high eight rebounds and dished out a team high five assists. App State held Southern Miss to a trio of treys, seven points off turnovers, and caused 23 Southern Miss turnovers. The Mountaineers and Lady Eagles first met on Dec. 2, 2001.
Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss is 1-1 in Sun Belt play after opening with a 73-59 road victory over Georgia State on Dec. 29 and falling short to Old Dominion, 65-47, at home on Jan. 2. Thursday's game marked the Lady Eagles' first loss in Hattiesburg this season, as they stand 4-1 at the Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss is 5-8 on the season, notching non-conference wins over Blue Mountain Christian (Nov. 7), William Carey (Nov. 11), Mississippi Valley State (Dec. 5), and Memphis (Dec. 8). The Golden Eagles made an appearance at the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 23-25) in the Bahamas, dropping contests to No. 18/17 Baylor, Columbia, and Texas A&M.
Melyia Grayson and Nyla Jean lead the Lady Eagles, averaging 13.8 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. Grayson is also the team's top rebounder, averaging 6.7 per contest. Bre Sutton leads the team in the assists category (3.5 per game) as well as the steals category (2.6 per game).
In conference-only rankings Trinity Rowe leads the league in 3-pointers per game (4.0) and stands third in 3-point percentage (53.3%). The Lady Eagles rank second in the league in 3-point percentage (43.2%), and third in field goal percentage (43.3%). For the season, Rowe leads the Sun Belt and ranks 30th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (43.3%). She also ranks eighth in 3-pointers per game (2.0). Grayson leads the league and rounds out the NCAA's top-40 in field goal percentage (55.9%). Grayson also ranks second in the league in field goals (76). Sutton leads the league in steals (34) and stands second in steals per game (2.62). Sutton rounds out the NCAA's top-45 in both categories. Southern Miss leads the league in assists per game (15.8), ranks second in field goal percentage (42.9%), and fourth in 3-point percentage (33.0%).
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers return to Boone to host Troy at noon on Jan. 9 for their Education Day game. Admission for all fans is free for Thursday's game.
On Jan. 11, App State will host Coastal Carolina at 3:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men's basketball program. The men's team will host James Madison at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come early for the men's game and stay late for the women's game, as one ticket will get fans into both games. The doubleheader will also be the Mountaineers' stripe out, in which fans are encouraged to wear either black or gold depending on the section their seats are in.
