BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team will pivot from conference play as it hosts Northern Illinois on Saturday for the second installment of the 2024-25 MAC-SBC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and Saturday's matchup will mark the first meeting for the Mountaineers and Huskies.
The Mountaineers will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Saturday. At 1:15 p.m. there will be a pregame youth clinic on the Holmes Convocation Center concourse with App State's women's sports teams for the first 50 kids ages pre-K to eighth grade who
sign up.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers maintained a perfect 15-0 series record against ULM with a 73-71 victory over the Warhawks in Monroe, La. on Wednesday. Senior
Zada Porter made a driving, tiebreaking layup with 2.6 seconds remaining in play to clinch the game for the Black & Gold. With the victory, App State rose to 13-9 on the season and 9-3 in Sun Belt play, extending its best start in SBC action in program history.
Junior
Elena Pericic led the Mountaineers with a season-high 22 points and marked her sixth game as App State's top rebounder, pulling down six. Pericic and senior
Emily Carver both knocked down 3-of-3 from the arc and combined with senior
Eleyana Tafisi for nine of App State's season-high 14 treys. In addition to her season-high three treys, Tafisi netted 14 points and dished out a team-high seven assists. Junior
Emily Hege scored 12 of the Mountaineers' points, dished out six assists, and grabbed five rebounds. The Mountaineers shot 58.3% from the arc, with six of the 10 Mountaineers who touched the court contributing 3-point buckets. Wednesday's game marked the eighth game during the 2024-25 campaign where the Black and Gold drained 10 or more treys. Additionally, App State shot 53.1% from the field.
Around the Mountain
Porter remains App State's top scorer, averaging 10.5 points per contest. Porter has scored double-figures in 12 games this season and has been the top scorer in six games. Carver averages 9.5 points per contest, while Pericic averages 9.0 points per game. Continuing to lead the Mountaineers in the rebounds category is Pericic, who grabs an average of 4.7 rebounds per game. She is followed by junior
Rylan Moffitt (4.5 rebounds per game) and Porter (4.3 rebounds per game). Tafisi continues to lead the Black and Gold in assists, dishing out an average of 5.0 per game. Porter averages 3.5 assists per contest.
In Sun Belt play, App State leads the league in field goal percentage (44.2%), 3-point percentage (37.6%), and assists (17.5). The Mountaineers rank third in made 3-pointers, averaging 8.6 per conference contest, as well as defensive rebounds, averaging 27.2 per SBC game. Tafisi leads the Sun Belt in assists, averaging 5.9 per league matchup. Moffitt ranks sixth in the blocks category, averaging 1.3 per game. Senior
Mara Neira averages 1.6 steals per contest.
App State leads the Sun Belt and rounds out the NCAA's top-40 in 3-point percentage (35.4%) and assists per game (16.5) for the season. The Mountaineers also lead the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (43.6%). In bench points per game, App State stands third in the league and 24th nationally. The Black and Gold also stands third in the league in defensive rebounds per game (26.9) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (7.9). Individually, Tafisi leads the league and rounds out the NCAA's top-40 in assists per game, dishing out 5.0. She also ranks sixth in the league in assists (85). Porter ranks sixth in the SBC in assists per game (3.5). Also in the conference rankings, Neira ranks eighth in 3-pointers per game (1.95) and Moffitt ranks ninth in blocks per game (0.91).
MAC-SBC Challenge
App State is 2-1 in the challenge. Last season, the Mountaineers defeated Ohio (Nov. 9) and Western Michigan (Feb. 10) in the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge last season. The Mountaineers fell short to Miami (Ohio) in the 2024-25 season opener.
Northern Illinois is also 2-1 in the challenge. The Huskies split last season's contests, falling to Arkansas State (Nov. 9) and defeating Georgia Southern (Feb. 10). NIU opened the 2024-25 campaign with a tight, 57-55, victory over Louisiana (Nov. 4).
Scouting Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is 10-12 on the season and 4-7 in MAC play. The Huskies enter Saturday's contest off a 73-69 victory over Kent State on Wednesday. NIU rang in the new year and opened conference play with a 59-58 victory over Toledo before dropping five league clashes from Jan. 4 to Jan. 18. The Huskies snapped their losing streak with a victory over Eastern Michigan on Jan. 22. In non-conference play, NIU notched wins over Chicago State (Nov. 20), Milwaukee (Nov. 24), Indiana State (Dec. 15). In their Holiday Hoops games, the Huskies clinched a 51-50 overtime victory over Idaho State (Dec. 20) and Viterbo (Dec. 28).
NIU's top scorer is Chelby Koker, who averages 13.3 points per game. Following Koker is Brooke Stonebraker (11.2 points per game) and Alecia Doyle (11.0) points per game. Stonebraker leads the team in the rebounds category, averaging 6.68 per contest.
Northern Illinois leads the MAC and ranks 13th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (36.8%). The Huskies also stand second in the MAC and 45th in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (27.7). Individually, Lexi Carlsen leads the league and ranks 21st nationally in 3-point percentage (43.9%) and rounds out the MAC's top-10 in 3-pointers (47) and 3-pointers per game (2.14). Koker rounds out the MAC's top-five and NCAA's top-60 in assists per game (4.9) and free throw percentage (85.5%).
On the Horizon
App State will clash with James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va. at 7 p.m. on Feb. 12. The Mountaineers look to dethrone the Dukes, who lead the Sun Belt with a 12-0 conference record. The Black and Gold will then travel to Atlanta, Ga. for a rematch against Georgia State at 5 p.m. on Feb. 15.
