BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's basketball team will host South Alabama for Luau Night on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Free leis will be available for the first 200 fans and there will be free Hawaiian shirts available for the first 50 students and first 50 fans through the door. Thursday's game is also a JMKC Bring A Friend Game, where JMKC members are invited to bring one friend, age 12 or under, for free. JMKC members can show their JMKC credential at the Southwest entrance, or email proof of membership to the App State ticket office for free admission.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers (9-10, 2-7 SBC) closed out their mid-January four-game road trip with a 68-48 victory over Louisiana on Jan. 23. Junior
Daisia Mitchell marked her 12th game in double figures, netting a team high 17 points and drilling three of App State's eight 3-pointers. Freshman
Addie Biel netted 14 points of her own off the bench, draining 7-of-9 from the field. Senior
Emma Smith was one rebound shy of marking her third double-double of the season, grabbing a team-high nine boards and netting 11 points of her own. Smith also led the team in assists, dishing out four. The Mountaineers held the Ragin' Cajuns to one second chance point and four offensive rebounds. Additionally, App State held Louisiana to six points in the fourth quarter.
Rankings Report
Through 19 games, sophomore
Jayden McBride, Mitchell, and Smith remain App State's top scorers, averaging 10.5, 10.4, and 10.1 points per contest. McBride has netted double figures on 10 occasions and was the Mountaineers' top scorer in seven contests. Smith, who has netted double figures on 10 occasions including five consecutive games from Jan. 10 to Jan. 23, continues to lead the Black and Gold in rebounds (6.5 rpg), assists (3.9 ast/g), and steals (1.8 stl/g). She also ranks third in the Sun Belt in assist to turnover ratio (1.72).
App State leads the league in scoring defense, holding teams to an average of 58.0 points per game. The Mountaineers stand second in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (0.92) as well as field goal percentage (43.9%). Additionally, App State ranks third in the SBC and 38th nationally in rebound margin (7.1). In league-only action, the Black and Gold stands second in scoring defense (64.2) and round out the top five in free throw percentage (71.3%), rebound margin (2.9), and assists (13.44).
Series History vs. South Alabama
App State leads the series against South Alabama, 12-8. In their last meeting on Jan. 2, 2025, the Mountaineers defeated the Jaguars, 82-67 in Mobile, Ala. Four Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by
Zada Porter, who contributed 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Draining 4-of-6 from beyond the arc,
Elena Pericic netted 16 points and made two of App State's four blocks.
Eleyana Tafisi led the team with five assists.
The Mountaineers shot 52.4% from beyond the arc, 78.9% from the charity stripe, and 46.7% from the field. Additionally, App State caused 26 South Alabama turnovers and held the Jaguars to five triples.
Scouting South Alabama
South Alabama is 9-10 on the season and 2-7 in conference play. The Jaguars look to snap a three-game drought after dropping contests to Coastal Carolina (Jan. 17), Georgia State (Jan. 22), and Georgia Southern (Jan. 24). In conference play, the Jaguars picked up wins over Louisiana (Jan. 3) and ULM (Jan. 10).
Graduate student forward Cordasia Harris leads the Sun Belt and ranks 30th nationally in field goal percentage (55.8%). She also ranks among the nation's top 35 and the league's top three in double-doubles (10), offensive rebounds per game (4.0), rebounds per game (9.6), blocks per game (1.84) and total blocks (35). Harris averages a team-high 12.5 points per contest, followed by junior guard Amyah Sutton, who averages 11.7 points per game. Leading the team in the assists category is redshirt sophomore guard Chrysta Narcisse with 2.7 assists per game.
South Alabama leads the league and ranks 16th in the NCAA in opponent 3-point percentage, holding teams 26.2% from beyond the arc. The Jaguars round out the SBC's top five and ranks 30th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (15.0) as well as 54th nationally in total rebounds per game (40.63).
Through nine conference games, South Alabama ranks second in opponent 3-point percentage (27.1%) and rounds out the conference's top five in rebounds (40.9), offensive rebounds per game (14.9), defensive rebounds per game (26.0), blocks (3.89), and made 3-pointers (7.4). Individually, Harris ranks third in rebounds, averaging 10.4 per conference clash, and fourth in blocks with 1.6 per game.
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Saturday with a 1 p.m. game against ULM. There will be a pregame clinic with App State's women's teams on the concourse at noon as well as free NGWSD shirts for the first 150 fans. Following the game there will be an autograph session with the women's basketball team. Saturday's game is also a JMKC Bring A Friend Game. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
