BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team opens the 2025-26 campaign with a clash against Western Michigan on Monday in the first installment of this season's MAC-SBC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center.
Monday's home opener is SYC Night and free pizza will be available for students while supplies last. Season and single-game tickets are available for purchase at
appstatesports.com/tickets. The game will also be available to stream on ESPN+.
2024-25 Season Review
In her first season at the helm of the program, head coach
Alaura Sharp led App State to its best Sun Belt start in program history with a 9-3 record from Dec. 29 to Feb. 5. The Mountaineers also recorded a pair of four-game win-streaks, as well as the first 100-point game in the Sharp era, defeating Clinton College, 101-44, on Nov. 20, 2024. App State also saw SBC Preseason First-Team honoree
Emily Carver become the 29th Mountaineer to surpass 1,000 career points in the Black and Gold.
Returning to the Mountain
Three Mountaineers return from last year's roster. Senior
Elena Pericic collected Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference Third Team honors, becoming the 11th Mountaineer to earn a SBC preseason nod since App State joined the league in 2014. Pericic appeared in all 30 games and made 28 starts last winter, shooting 42.3% from the arc, 42.1% from the field, and 75.0% from the line. The Rijeka, Croatia native averaged 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Fellow senior
Emily Hege returns after appearing in all 30 games and making 22 starts during the 2024-25 campaign. Hege scored a season and team high 14 points, shooting 83.3% from the field and 75.0% from the arc, against Georgia Southern on Jan. 25, 2025. She also grabbed a season high six rebounds on occasions against Coastal Carolina (Jan. 11, 2025) and Old Dominion (Jan. 23, 2025). Also returning is graduate student Zoë McCrary, who appeared in three games last winter, averaging 4.0 rebounds per contest for App State.
New to the Mountain
Six transfers and three freshmen join the Mountaineers' ranks this winter. Graduate student
Jada Burton joins the Mountaineers as a guard after making stops at Dodge City and Western Carolina. While at Western Carolina, Burton recorded the program's first triple-double (12 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds) and averaged 9.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game during the 2024-25 campaign.
Joining the Black and Gold's senior class as a guard is
Emma Smith. Smith spent three seasons at Denver, where she surpassed 1,000 career points and averaged 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. Junior guards
Marta Gutierrez and
Daisia Mitchell come to Boone after stops at Vincennes and Mt. SAC, respectively. In her time at Vincennes, Gutierrez helped the Trailblazers to a Region 24 semifinal appearance and started 28 of the 30 games she appeared in last year. Mitchell, who played at Mt. SAC for two seasons, led the Mounties to a 2025 3C2A state title and collected various accolades for her efforts.
The Mountaineers' sophomore class features guard
Jayden McBride and forward
Feryal Defne Atli. McBride spent her freshman season at Georgetown, where she made 12 starts, appearing in 24 games, and averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Atli played at West Virginia during the 2024-25 campaign and has several years of experience playing for the Türkiye National Team. App State's freshman class is made up of guards
Isa Roman and
Riley Stoker, and forward
Addie Biel.
In addition to Croatia, which is represented by Pericic, Türkiye and Spain will be represented this year by Atli and Gutierrez, respectively.
MAC-SBC Challenge
The Mountaineers are 2-2 overall in MAC-SBC Challenge contests (1-1 in the Holmes Center). App State defeated Ohio, 71-64, in the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge game on Nov. 11, 2023 in the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers went on to defeat Western Michigan on Feb. 20, 2024 before falling short to Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois in the 2024-25 edition of the contest.
Series History vs. Western Michigan
App State recorded its first encounter with Western Michigan on Feb. 20, 2024, in the second half of the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge. The Mountaineers defeated the Broncos, 78-68 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Four Mountaineers netted double-figures, led by
Emily Carver, who contributed 16 points. Faith Alston netted 15 points and dished out a team high four assists. Carver and
Zada Porter combined for six of App State's 12 treys.
Rylan Moffitt grabbed a team high six rebounds for the Black and Gold. For the duration of the game, App State controlled the lead and shot 47.3% from the field, 42.9% from the arc, and 77.8% from the charity stripe. Additionally, the Mountaineers held the Broncos to three treys and seven offensive rebounds.
The Mountaineers enter Monday's contest with a 1-0 edge in its series with WMU.
Scouting Western Michigan
Western Michigan opens the 2025-26 campaign under the direction of first year head coach Kate Acter. Acter previously served for six seasons as the head coach of the Loyola Chicago women's basketball team and was tabbed for the WMU job after the retirement of the Broncos' previous coach, Shane Clipfell.
Six Broncos return from the 2024-25 squad, led by senior guard Alli Carlson and graduate student center Lauren Audino. Carlson averaged 8.4 points per game, shooting 38.5% from the field and 40.5% from the arc last year. She also grabbed 3.4 rebounds per contest, dished out 2.8 assists per game and made 1.8 steals per game. Audino shot 54.9% from the field and 62.8% from the charity stripe, averaging 4.5 points per game last year.
Alongside Carlson and Audino, redshirt senior forward De'Ahana Richardson, junior guard Nile Muguira Orbe, sophomore forward D'Myjah Bolds, and sophomore guard Alli Harness return from the 2024-25 squad. Richardson and Orbe are the only Broncos that have previously crossed paths with the Mountaineers in their first meeting back in 2024. In addition to WMU's returners, seven newcomers join the Broncos.
Western Michigan was picked ninth in the 2025-26 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and finished the 2024-25 season with a 12-18 record (8-10 MAC).
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers' season-opening homestretch continues with a 6:30 p.m. game against Bob Jones on Thursday. App State will then host Davidson at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 and Wofford at 2 p.m. on Nov. 16. Tickets for all three games are available now at
appstatesports.com/tickets. The games will also be able to stream on ESPN+.
