BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team is headed to Atlanta, Ga. for a rematch against Georgia State. Saturday's matchup with the Panthers is part of a doubleheader and tipoff of the women's game is set for 5 p.m.
Saturday's game will mark the third Play4Kay game the Mountaineers will appear in this month, and second against Georgia State. App State hosted its own Pink Day game on Feb. 1 against Georgia State and appeared in James Madison's Play4Kay game on Thursday.
Last Time Out
App State (13-11, 9-4 SBC) fell short to James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va. on Thursday, 77-61. Senior
Mara Neira led the Mountaineers with 18 points. Neira, who has been the Mountaineers' top scorer in four games, drained four of App State's eight treys against the Dukes. Junior
Emily Hege netted 11 points. Senior
Emily Carver grabbed a season-high eight rebounds, while senior
Eleyana Tafisi dished out a team-high seven assists.
Around the Mountain
With five games remaining in the regular season, senior
Zada Porter remains App State's top scorer, averaging 10.3 points per game. Carver averages 9.5 points per contest, followed by junior
Elena Pericic, who averages 8.9 points per game. Pericic and junior
Rylan Moffitt are the Mountaineers' top rebounders, each grabbing 4.5 per game. Tafisi continues to lead the Black and Gold in the assists category, dishing out an average of 5.2 assists per game.
In Sun Belt play, App State continues to lead the league in 3-point percentage (36.6%) and assists (17.54 per league game). The Mountaineers stand second in field goal percentage (43.7%) and made 3-pointers (8.5 per conference game), as well as fourth in defensive rebounds, averaging 26.7 per conference clash. Tafisi remains the Sun Belt's leader in the assists category, averaging 6.0 assists per league game.
App State maintains its position as the Sun Belt's leader in assists per game (16.4), field goal percentage (43.1%), and 3-point percentage (34.8%) for the season. Additionally, the Mountaineers rank among the NCAA's top-50 in assists per game and 3-point percentage. The Black and Gold also stands third in the league and 25th nationally in bench points per game (25.9). App State checks in at third in the SBC in defensive rebounds per game (26.7) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (7.8). Tafisi maintains her lead in the Sun Belt and is 34th nationally in assists per game. She also stands second in the league and 75th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio. Tafisi remains sixth in total assists (98) and Porter remains sixth in assists per game (3.4). Neira rose to seventh in the league in 3-pointers per game (1.96) after Thursday's game.
Series History vs. Georgia State
App State opened the month of February with its Pink Day game against the Panthers. The Mountaineers fell short, 62-55, in Boone. Neira was the Black and Gold's top scorer, netting 15 points. She also drained five from the arc for a second time during the 2024-25 campaign. Porter scored 11 points, drained a trio of 3-point buckets and tallied a team-high three steals. Tafisi dished out six assists while senior
J'Mani Ingram, Moffitt, and Pericic combined for 15 of App State's 36 rebounds, each grabbing five.
Scouting Georgia State
Georgia State is 13-12 (6-7 SBC) on the season. Since meeting App State on Feb. 1, the Panthers fell short to Arkansas State, 86-50, on the road. In the second installment of the MAC-SBC Challenge, Georgia State defeated Eastern Michigan 55-43 on Feb. 8. The Panthers enter Saturday's contest after a 78-69 double-overtime victory over South Alabama in Atlanta.
Since the Mountaineers' last clash with the Panthers, Mikyla Tolivert continues to lead the Panthers, averaging 13.8 points per contest, followed by Kaleigh Addie, who averages 11.1 points per game. Patience Williams remains Georgia State's top rebounder, averaging 4.8 rebounds per contest, while Crystal Henderson continues to lead the team in the assists category (4.2).
In conference play, Georgia State maintains its lead in blocked shots, averaging 4.15 per conference clash. The Panthers also remain the league's leaders in steals, averaging 12.15 per league matchup. Individually, Mahogany Matthews continues to lead the SBC in blocked shots (3.7) and remains second in steals (2.6). Henderson stands fourth in the Sun Belt in assists (4.2) and steals (2.6).
For the season, Georgia State leads the conference and rounds out the NCAA's top-25 in blocks per game (4.7). The Panthers also ranks second in the SBC and 22nd nationally in steals per game (11.4). Matthews leads the Sun Belt and ranks second in the NCAA in blocks (80) and blocks per game (3.2) for the season. Henderson leads the league and ranks among the NCAA's top-35 in steals (63) and steals per game (2.52). Tolivert and Matthews also check in among the Sun Belt's top-10 in the steals and steals-per-game categories. Additionally, Henderson stands second in assists (105) and fourth in assists per game in the Sun Belt. Tolivert checks in at third in the league in free throws (77).
On the Horizon
App State will host Marshall on Feb. 19 and James Madison on Feb. 22 for its final homestand of the 2024-25 campaign. Wednesday's 6:30 p.m. game against Marshall will be App State Club Day. Saturday's 3:30 p.m. home closer against James Madison is Alumni Day and part of a doubleheader with the men's program, which will host Marshall at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come early for the men's game and stay late for the women's game.
For all remaining home men's and women's basketball games,
BOGO tickets are available for fans when they use the promo code
MOUNTAINSTRONG. Additionally, for the remaining home basketball games, App State faculty and staff will receive free admission when they show their App Cards.
