Box Score BOONE, N.C. – The App State women's basketball team (7-5, 0-2 SBC) capped the 2025 calendar year with an 82-31 victory over Carolina University in the Holmes Center. Monday's game marked the first game back in the High Country for the Mountaineers since their Education Day win over Norfolk State on Nov. 25.
The Mountaineers were six assists shy of matching the single-game program record of 31 assists, which was set on Jan. 11, 1997 against Furman.
"It feels great to be back in Holmes," said head coach
Alaura Sharp. "It's been a long time, it's been too long. It feels great to get back in the win column. Obviously, we've had a tough stretch with our team and I thought we worked really hard offensively, on our spacing, and I thought you saw some of that today, so I'm proud to see some of those things carry over."
"It's just nice to get a game under our belt," Sharp said. "This is our bye-game this week, so everyone else in the conference will play either on Wednesday or Thursday, so to be able to play and get that cardio, sometimes it's hard to be in great shape coming right off the Christmas break when you have four or five days off. It's great to win and great to see some other kids come off the bench."
Four Mountaineers netted double-figures, led by freshman
Addie Biel, who scored 17 points. Junior
Daisia Mitchell contributed 16 points while also dishing out four assists, pulling down five rebounds, and making three steals. Sophomore
Jayden McBride drained two of App State's five treys and netted 14 points of her own. Senior
Emma Smith led the Mountaineers in rebounds and assists, tallying eight in both categories. Her eight assists matched her season-high, which was set on Nov. 25 against Norfolk State. Fellow senior
Elena Pericic followed Smith in rebounds, grabbing seven boards of her own.
App State outpaced Carolina University in fastbreak points (16-3), points in the paint (58-8), bench points (35-5), and points off turnovers (23-7). Additionally, the Mountaineers held the Bruins to single-digits in three of four quarters.
With a 9-0 run, the Mountaineers set the tone early in the first quarter, as sophomore
Feryal Defne Atli made a pair of trips to the hoop, McBride made a layup of her own, and senior
Emily Hege drilled the first trey of the game. With a 10-0 run over 1:39, the Black and Gold extended the deficit to 19-5.
App State held the Bruins to a game-low six points, while scoring a game-high 25 points in the second period. Smith opened the second quarter with a 3-point bucket. A layup from Mitchell sparked a 16-0 run over 5:40 that launched the App State to a 43-13 lead. With an assist from Smith, Pericic knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Black and Gold up by an even 30 (46-16) at the close of the half. Smith dished out six of her eight assists, while Pericic grabbed five of her seven boards in the first half of play.
In the third quarter, Mitchell and Biel combined for 16 of App State's 18 points, both shooting perfectly from the field and charity stripe. The Black and Gold opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run over 4:20 that featured a McBride 3-point bucket, layups from Atli and McBride, and a jumper from freshman
Isa Roman. With an assist from Biel, graduate student Zoë McCrary made a layup, which Biel followed up with a layup of her own. Biel netted 11 of her 17 points in the second half of play. Despite a late Bruins 3-pointer, App State sealed the win, 82-31.
Up Next
App State will resume Sun Belt play with a trio of home games in the new year. The Mountaineers will host Marshall at 2 p.m. on Jan. 3. The Black and Gold's homestand will continue with a clash against Coastal Carolina at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 7 and a game against Southern Miss at 1 p.m. on Jan. 10. All three games will be available to stream on ESPN+. Additionally, JMKC members are invited to bring one friend, age 12 or under, for free for the Jan. 3, Jan. 7, and Jan. 10 games. JMKC members can show their JMKC credential at the Southwest entrance or email proof of membership to the App State ticket office for free admission.
