PENSACOLA, FLA. – The No. 6 seeded App State women's basketball team fell short to No. 11 seed Marshall, 75-66, in the fourth round of the Sun Belt Women's Basketball Championship on Friday.
"Obviously I want to give a lot of credit to Marshall, they are rolling right now and playing very well at a high level. It's amazing what they've done all these games in a row. I feel like our team could have thrown the towel in down 19 and I just feel like that fight, that grit, that stick with it, shows a lot about the character of our group. I've had a lot of fun coaching this group." said head coach
Alaura Sharp.
"A lot of memories have been made in this first season. I'm so thankful for this group of women, who've fought really hard." Sharp said. "I feel like we have turned the tide with App State Women's Basketball and are really excited for the future. I'm so thankful for the seniors that have worked really hard this season."
Seniors
Emily Carver and
Mara Neira led the Mountaineers against the Herd, both netting 23 points. Neira and Carver also combined for 11 of App State's 13 treys. Neira drained seven 3-point buckets, matching her career-high which she set during the 2023-24 season and Carver knocked down four. Neira was also two points shy of her career-high of 25. Carver drilled five of App State's nine freebies, knocking down 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Junior
Elena Pericic was the Mountaineers' top rebounder for an eighth game this season, grabbing seven, and made the Mountaineers' sole block of the game. Senior
Eleyana Tafisi dished out a team-high seven assists. App State netted 18 points off turnovers and kept Marshall from scoring any points off turnovers in the first quarter. The Mountaineers also netted 28 points off the bench.
Senior
Zada Porter put the Mountaineers on the board with a layup, assisted by Tafisi. Porter then assisted Tafisi with a jumper, to give the Mountaineers a 4-3 edge. With back-to-back 3-point buckets from Porter and Neira, the Mountaineers took a 10-6 lead. The Mountaineers and Herd swapped the lead five times through the first quarter before Marshall established a 16-10 lead with a 10-0 run. Despite a layup from Neira and a free throw from Pericic, Marshall took a 19-13 lead into the second quarter and would hold a steady lead for the remainder of play.
Neira opened the second quarter with a trey to cut the deficit to 19-16. With a pair of layups and a trey from Carver, the Mountaineers stayed within five of Marshall's lead (29-24). Despite a jumper from Pericic, who had grabbed five of her seven rebounds in the second quarter, App State trailed Marshall, 35-26, at the close of the half.
In the third quarter, Neira and Carver combined for 10 of App State's 15 points. As Marshall pulled ahead, 40-26, Pericic knocked down a 3-point bucket, assisted by Neira. Neira drained back-to-back treys and Carver shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the line over the course of the period.
App State shot 60% from the fourth quarter, drilling six of its 13 3-point buckets on the night. After Marshall pulled ahead, 58-41, early in the quarter, App State went on a 7-0 run that included a trey and layup from Carver as well as a layup from senior
Samantha LaFon. Carver netted 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, draining 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from the arc. LaFon got to the hoop for another layup to narrow the deficit to 67-57. With 1:30 left to play, Neira managed to fire off a trio of treys to chip away at Marshall's lead, but the Herd took the win, 75-66, and advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal.
2025 Sun Belt Tournament Schedule & Results
Tuesday, March 4 | First Round
Game 1 - (12) Georgia Southern 70, (13) Southern Miss 59
Game 2 - (11) Marshall 73, (14) South Alabama 59
Wednesday, March 5 | Second Round
Game 3 - (12) Georgia Southern 75, (9) ULM 69
Game 4 - (11) Marshall 68, (10) Texas State 62
Thursday, March 6 | Third Round
Game 5 - (8) Georgia State 70, (12) Georgia Southern 64
Game 6 - (11) Marshall 48, (7) Louisiana 46
Friday, March 7 | Fourth Round
Game 7 – (8) Georgia State 65, (5) Old Dominion 62
Game 8 - (11) Marshall 75, (6) App State 66
Saturday, March 8 | Quarterfinal
Game 9 - (4) Coastal Carolina vs. (8) Georgia State - 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT)
Game 10 - (3) Troy vs. (11) Marshall - 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT)
Sunday, March 9 | Semifinal
Game 11 - (1) James Madison vs. Winner Game 9 - 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. CT)
Game 12 - (2) Arkansas State vs. Winner Game 10 - 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT)
Monday, March 10 | Championship
Game 13 - Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 - 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) - ESPN2
