BOILING SPRINGS, N.C – The App State women's basketball team rose to 6-2 on the season after defeating Gardner-Webb, 63-53, on the road. Monday's win marks the Mountaineers' best start through the first eight games since the 2012-13 campaign.
Four Mountaineers netted double-figures, led by senior
Emily Hege, who scored 16 points. Sophomore
Feryal Defne Atli and senior
Elena Pericic matched with 13 points apiece. Atli drained 6-of-8 from the field and grabbed a team high seven rebounds for the Black and Gold. Pericic drained 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, combining with sophomore
Jayden McBride for seven of App State's 10 treys. Senior
Emma Smith dished out a team high six assists on the evening, four of which she tallied in the first period.
App State shot 48.9% from the field and 47.6% from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers held Gardner-Webb to five 3-point buckets and five second-chance points. In the first half, App State drained 8-of-12 3-pointers, including a perfect 3-of-3 in the second quarter.
The Mountaineers got off to a hot start as Atli put the Mountaineers on the board with a jumper, which McBride followed up with back-to-back 3-point buckets. Gardner-Webb managed to come within one of App State's lead before Pericic knocked back a pair of consecutive treys to push the Black and Gold ahead, 14-7. With a free throw from Atli and a late trey from Hege, App State kept a 20-16 edge at the close of the quarter.
App State held Gardner-Webb to six points in the second quarter. With a 12-0 run over 3:13, the Mountaineers leapt to a 32-18 lead. Late in the quarter, Pericic knocked down her third trey of the game. Freshman
Addie Biel made a trip to the hoop for a layup and fellow freshman
Riley Stoker landed a jumper in the paint. Hege capped the half with a last-second jumper, pushing App State ahead, 42-22.
In the third period, the Runnin' Bulldogs flipped the script, holding the Mountaineers to seven points. Hege and Atli made trips to the hoop to keep App State ahead, 46-26, early in the quarter. As the Black and Gold faced a scoring drought, GWU managed to chip away at the deficit. McBride snapped the Mountaineers' drought with her fourth 3-pointer of the night.
Layups from Pericic and Atli and a trey from Hege kept App State ahead, 56-42, in the fourth quarter, but the Runnin' Bulldogs began to find their stride. Gardner-Webb narrowed the deficit to eight, but free throws from Hege, Smith, and Pericic sealed the win for App State, 63-53.
Up Next
The Mountaineers remain on the road as they challenge Clemson on Dec. 7 in Clemson, S.C. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on ACCNX.
