BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team will close out its 2024-25 home slate with a 3:30 p.m. clash against Sun Belt leader James Madison on Saturday.
The Mountaineers will celebrate their alumni for Alumni Day. Saturday's home closer is part of a doubleheader with the men's program, which will host Marshall at 1 p.m.
Fans can claim BOGO tickets when they use the promo code
MOUNTAINSTRONG. One ticket will get fans into both games. Additionally, App State faculty and staff can also receive free admission when they show their App Cards and the southwest entrance.
Last Time Out
App State (13-13, 9-6 SBC) hosted Marshall on Wednesday, falling short to the Thundering Herd, 76-58. The Mountaineers' top scorer was senior
Zada Porter, who netted 15 points and drained 7-of-8 from the field. She has scored double-figures in 15 games this season. Porter also led the team in the assists category, dishing out four. Junior
Rylan Moffitt netted 10 points and made a pair of blocks. App State's top rebounder of the night was senior
Emily Carver, who grabbed eight.
Around the Mountain
With three games remaining in the regular season, Porter continues to lead the Mountaineers, averaging 10.5 points per contest. Carver follows, averaging 9.0 points per contest. Moffitt and junior
Elena Pericic lead the team in the rebounds category, averaging 4.7 and 4.6 per game, respectively. In the assists category, senior
Eleyana Tafisi leads the team, averaging a team-high 5.0 assists per game.
App State leads the Sun Belt in assists, averaging 16.80 per conference game. The Mountaineers also stand second in 3-point percentage (35.4%) as well as third in made 3-pointers per conference contest, averaging 8.1 per game. The Black and Gold stands fourth in field goal percentage (43.0%) and defensive rebounds (26.6). Individually, Tafisi, who averages 5.7 assists per conference contest, remains the Sun Belt's leader in assists.
App State continues to lead the Sun Belt and remains in the NCAA's top-50 in assists per game (16.1). The Mountaineers rank second in the SBC in 3-point percentage (34.2%) and field goal percentage (42.7%). App State rounds out the NCAA's top-65 in both categories. The Black and Gold stands third in the league and stands 24th nationally in bench points per game (25.7). Tafisi leads the Sun Belt and ranks 41st in the NCAA in assists per game. She also rounds out the league's top-five in assists (105). Porter stands sixth in the SBC in assists per game (3.5). Senior
Mara Neira checks in at seventh in the Sun Belt in 3-pointers per game (1.96).
Series History vs. James Madison
App State last met with James Madison on Feb. 13, falling short to the Dukes, 77-61. Neira led the Mountaineers with 18 points and knocked down four of App State's eight treys. Junior
Emily Hege netted 11 points and contributed two treys. Carver pulled down eight rebounds, while Tafisi dished out a team-high seven assists. App State had held JMU to four second chance points and five treys. In the series between the Mountaineers and Dukes, JMU leads, 7-2.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison is 24-4 on the season and 15-0 in conference play. After meeting App State on Feb. 13, the Dukes posted a 66-53 victory over Old Dominion and defeated Georgia State, 62-55, in Atlanta on Feb. 19. JMU is ranked third in this week's CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top-25.
Four Dukes average double-figures, led by Peyton McDaniel, who averages 16.1 points per game. McDaniel is followed by Kseniia Kozlova (12.0), Ro Scott (11.3), and Ashanti Barnes (10.3). Additionally, McDaniel leads the team in rebounds (8.4), blocks (0.7), and steals (1.9). Zakiya Stephenson leads the Dukes in the assists category, dishing out an average 3.0 per game.
In league play, James Madison leads the league in field goal percentage (44.4%). JMU stands second in free throw percentage (73.8%), rebounds (50.0), and defensive rebounds (32.1). McDaniel ranks second in the league in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per conference contest. She also rounds out the Sun Belt's top-three in field goal percentage (51.6%) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.3). Barnes rounds out the conference's top-five in rebounds, averaging 8.6 per SBC game.
For the season, James Madison leads the Sun Belt in free throw percentage (72.8%) and free throws made per game (14.54). JMU stands second in the league and sixth in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game as well as second in the SBC and seventh nationally in rebounds per game (30.5). Individually, McDaniel leads the league in field goals (161), and ranks second in double-doubles (10), points (451), points per game (16.1), rebounds (235), rebounds per game (8.4), 3-point percentage (35.1%), and 3-pointers (61). She also ranks among the NCAA's top-50 in double-doubles, rebounds, and 3-pointers.
On the Horizon
App State will close out the regular season with a pair of road clashes next week. The Mountaineers will head to Statesboro, Ga. for a 6 p.m. Wednesday matchup with Georgia Southern before capping the 2024-25 regular season slate on Friday with a 5 p.m. clash against Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C.
