BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team is headed to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on Sun Belt leader James Madison.
UPDATE (2/11): Due to weather in the Harrisonburg area, the game has been moved to Thursday with a 5 p.m. tipoff. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
App State hosted Northern Illinois in its second MAC-SBC Challenge game of the 2024-25 campaign on Feb. 8. The Mountaineers fell short to the Huskies, 75-62. Senior
Zada Porter led the team for a seventh game this winter, netting 13 points. Saturday also marked her 13th game scoring double-figures. Porter also dished out six assists and combined with fellow senior
Emily Carver for 10 rebounds. Carver netted 12 points and contributed a pair of treys for the Black and Gold. Junior
Elena Pericic knocked down three of App State's seven treys, netting 11 points on the afternoon. She also made the Mountaineers' solo block of the game. Junior
Rylan Moffitt was the Mountaineers' top rebounder, pulling down seven rebounds, while senior
Eleyana Tafisi led the Mountaineers in assists with six.
Around the Mountain
Porter continues to lead the Mountaineers, averaging 10.6 points per game. She has netted double-figures in 13 games this season and has been App State's top scorer in seven contests. Following Porter is Carver (9.6 points per game) and Pericic (9.1 points per game). Pericic continues to lead the Mountaineers in rebounds, grabbing 5.0 rebounds per contest. Tafisi dishes out an average of 5.1 assists per game.
In Sun Belt play, App State leads the league in field goal percentage (44.2%), 3-point percentage (37.6%), and assists (17.50). The Mountaineers rank third in made 3-pointers (8.6) and defensive rebounds (27.2). Tafisi remains the Sun Belt's leader in the assists category, averaging 5.9 assists per conference contest.
For the season, App State continues to lead the Sun Belt and rounds out the NCAA's top-40 in 3-point percentage (35.2%). App State also continues to lead the conference and ranks 41st nationally in assists per game (16.3). Additionally, the Mountaineers remain the league's leader in field goal percentage (43.3%). The Black and Gold ranks third in the Sun Belt and 27th in the NCAA in bench points per game (25.7) as well as third in the SBC and 74th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (26.9). Tafisi remains the Sun Belt's leader and ranks 42nd in the NCAA in assists per game. She also ranks sixth in the league in assists (91). Porter ranks sixth in assists per game (3.4). Senior
Mara Neira ranks ninth in 3-pointers per game (1.87).
Series History vs. James Madison
App State last met James Madison on Feb. 24 in its final home game of the 2023-24 campaign. The Mountaineers defeated the Dukes, 83-79 in Boone. Four Mountaineers netted double-figures, led by
Faith Alston (25 points) and
Taylor Lewis (23) on their Senior Day.
Rylan Moffitt netted 14 points, followed by
Alexis Black, who netted 13 points. Lewis drained five of App State's 12 treys and was App State's top rebounder, pulling down eight. James Madison leads the series, 6-2.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison is 21-4 on the season and undefeated in conference play (12-0 SBC). JMU has not dropped a contest since its loss to No. 21 NC State on Dec. 19. The Dukes enter Wednesday's contest after a 78-74 victory over Ball State, closing out this season's MAC-SBC Challenge with a 2-0 record. In addition to their loss to No. 21 NC State, the Dukes have only dropped contests to No. 6 Notre Dame (Nov. 13), Northern Arizona (Nov. 28), and No. 4 Texas (Dec. 8). James Madison has consistently appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll this season and was ranked seventh in last week's edition.
Four Dukes average double-figures for James Madison, led by Peyton McDaniel, who averages 15.5 points per game. Following McDaniel is Ro Scott (11.7 points per game), Kseniia Kozlova (11.8 points per game), Ashanti Barnes (10.6 points per game). McDaniel also leads the team in rebounds per game, grabbing 8.4 per contest. Zakiya Stephenson averages a team-high 2.9 assists per game.
In Sun Belt play, James Madison leads the league in scoring defense (60.1), and stands second in scoring offense (75.9), field goal percentage (44.2%), free throw percentage (74.5%), and combined team rebounds (43.7). Individually, McDaniel ranks second in scoring (17.0), field goal percentage (50.3%), and 3-pointers per game (2.4).
For the season, McDaniel leads the league in points (388) and stands second in double-doubles (9), field goals (138), rebounds (210), rebounds per game (8.4), and 3-pointers (56). She stands in the NCAA's top-50 in double-doubles, rebounds, and 3-pointers. The Dukes lead the Sun Belt and stand 21st in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (36.4%). JMU ranks second in the Sun Belt in nine categories, including free throw percentage (73.0%), defensive rebounds per game (30.1), and rebounds per game (42.64).
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will travel to Atlanta, Ga. for a rematch against Georgia State at 5 p.m. on Feb. 15.
