BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team (8-7, 1-4 SBC) tips off a four-game conference road-stretch with a midweek matchup against Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
App State closed out a four-game homestand with an 82-59 victory over Southern Miss in the Holmes Center on Saturday. The Mountaineers' strong shooting from beyond the arc highlighted the game as App State came within one of matching the program's team and individual single-game 3-point records.
Sophomore
Jayden McBride, who netted a career and team-high 26 points against the Lady Eagles, drained six triples on seven attempts, coming within one of matching App State's individual single-game program record of seven made 3-pointers, originally set in 1991. Senior
Emma Smith registered her second double-double of the 2025-26 campaign with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Smith also combined with fellow senior
Emily Hege and junior
Daisia Mitchell for 15 of App State's 24 assists, each dishing out five.
While draining 14 treys on the night, coming within one of the program's single-game team record of 15, App State held Southern Miss, a team ranked among the NCAA's top-50 in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game leading into Saturday's contest, to three triples on 13.0% shooting. The Mountaineers shot 54.5% from the field and 53.8% from deep, recording 24 assists on 30 made field goals.
Rankings Report
Following Saturday's game, McBride averages a team-high 11.3 points per contest and ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in 3-point percentage (37.8%). Following McBride is Mitchell, who averages 10.7 points per contest. Smith remains the Sun Belt's leader and ranks 60th nationally in assist/turnover ratio. She also rounds out the league's top-five in assists per game (4.2) and assists (63). She also continues to lead the Mountaineers in rebounds, grabbing 6.4 boards per game.
App State's defense and perimeter shooting rank among the nation's best, sitting 30th in scoring defense (56.5) and 37th in 3-point percentage (35.7%). Within the Sun Belt, the Mountaineers lead the conference in scoring defense and rank second in assists (15.2), field goal percentage (44.7%), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.01).
With five conference games under their belts, the Mountaineers lead the Sun Belt in 3-point percentage (37.0%) and stand second in the league in scoring defense (64.6) as well as assists (15.0). The Black and Gold also rank third in free throw percentage (76.4%) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (7.4). After her performance on Saturday, McBride rose fourth in the league in 3-point percentage (46.9%) and fifth in 3-pointers per game, averaging 3.0 per conference clash.
Series History vs. Old Dominion
Having only met on eight occasions, App State trails Old Dominion, 6-2 all-time. The Mountaineers split their contests with Old Dominion last season, meeting the Monarchs in back-to-back weeks. On Jan. 15, 2025, App State fell short to the Monarchs in Norfolk, 78-71.
Zada Porter registered a double-double, netting a team-high 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Eleyana Tafisi dished out a team-high nine assists, while
Rylan Moffitt accounted for five of App State's seven blocks.
The Black and Gold bounced back to defeat ODU, 74-66, in Boone the following week on Jan. 23, 2025. Four Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by Moffitt's 15 points. Tafisi led the Mountaineers with seven assists, while
Emily Hege pulled down a team-high five rebounds. The Mountaineers held Old Dominion to eight points in the first quarter as well as five assists and one block over the duration of play.
Scouting Old Dominion
Old Dominion is 10-7 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. The Monarchs return to Norfolk after a pair of road setbacks last week. ODU fell short to Marshall, 77-70, last Wednesday before dropping Saturday's contest to Georgia Southern, 77-60. The Monarchs had opened conference play with a home loss to Troy before competing at the Cherokee Invitational tournament, where they fell short to Ole Miss and defeated Indiana State to close the 2025 calendar year. Old Dominion rang in the new year with an 87-84 double overtime victory over Georgia Southern and went on to defeat Georgia State, 73-68, on Jan. 3.
Senior guard Simaru Fields is ODU's top scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game, and is followed by graduate student guard En'Dya Buford, who averages 11.1 points per contest. Fields and Buford also lead the Monarchs in assists, averaging 2.6 and 2.4 apiece. Additionally, Buford rounds out the league's top five in steals per game, averaging 2.29. ODU's top rebounder is senior guard/forward Simone Cunningham, who averages 6.2 boards per contest. Junior forward Riley Stack leads the league in blocks (45) and blocks per game (2.65), ranking in the nation's top-10 in both categories. Old Dominion leads the league and ranks 13th nationally in blocks per game (5.9). The Monarchs also rank second in the conference and 24th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (43.24).
Through five conference games, Old Dominion ranks third in the Sun Belt in rebounds (41.0), rebound margin (4.2), and defensive rebounds (27.8). The Monarchs are also fourth in the league in field goal percentage (43%) and 3-point percentage (34.8%) in conference-only play. Individually, Fields stands third in the SBC in assists (4.4) as well as steals (2.4) and rounds out the league's top-five scorers, averaging 18.0 points per conference clash.
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on Georgia State on Jan. 17. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
