BOONE, N.C. – The App State women's basketball team will look to continue its historic start to the 2026-27 season, facing Northwestern on Saturday as part of the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. at 7 p.m., streaming on PassThaBall.
The Mountaineers (3-0) are coming off a strong comeback win against the Davidson Wildcats on Wednesday, triumphing 71-67 to move to 3-0 for the first time since the 1994-95 season and earn their first victory over the Wildcats since 2022.
Daisia Mitchell led the Mountaineers in scoring against Davidson, recording 15 points and five rebounds on an efficient 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Feryal Defne Atli had a standout performance on Wednesday, scoring a season-high 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.
In the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers held Davidson to just 3-for-15 shooting from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, completing a 15-3 run before the Wildcats scored their first field goal of the period at the 2:45 mark.
Early Season Leaders
Three games into the 2026-27 campaign, Mitchell leads the Mountaineers in scoring, averaging 13 points per game while shooting 57.1% from the field, and ranks second in steals per game at 2.3. Raven Preston leads App State in rebounding, averaging 5.0 per contest, highlighted by a season-high eight rebounds against Eastern Michigan in the season opener. Atli leads the Mountaineers in field goal percentage, shooting 71.4%, highlighted by her perfect 6-for-6 performance against Davidson.
Ranking Reports
Through the first three games of the season, the Mountaineers rank in the top 10 in multiple categories, highlighted by leading the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (52.2%), 3-point percentage (43.4%), and scoring margin (26.7), while ranking second in scoring offense (90.5). App State also ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, sitting ninth and seventh, respectively.
Atli leads the Sun Belt and ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage through the first three games, shooting an efficient 71.4% from the field.
The Mountaineers also rank fourth in the Sun Belt in bench points (31.7) and fifth in assists per game, averaging 15.3 a contest.
Returning Mountaineers
Highlighting the six returners for App State is senior Mitchell, who earned Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team honors on Oct. 19. Mitchell played in all 30 games for the Mountaineers last season, starting 29. She finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest. Also starting 29 of 30 games was Atli, who returns to the Mountaineers after a successful sophomore season averaging six points and 3.6 rebounds a game. Jayden McBride remains in the High Country after seeing action in 23 games; despite suffering injuries, she ranked third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game. Her best performance came against Southern Miss on Jan. 10, when she scored 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field while connecting on 6 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Addie Biel played a pivotal role off the bench, seeing action in 28 games. One of her best games in conference play came against Georgia State on Feb. 14, when she scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting while pulling down 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. Riley Stoker and Isa Roman also played key roles as freshmen, seeing action in 27 and 23 games, respectively. Stoker's best game came in a close loss against Coastal Carolina on Feb. 18, when she posted a near double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Newcomers in the High Country
Seven newcomers join the Mountaineers for the 2026-27 season, led by Radford transfer and Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree Joi Williams, who scored over 1,000 points in her three years with the Highlanders. Torin Rogers joins the Mountaineers after spending time at Richmond and UNC Wilmington; while with the Spiders, she reached the NCAA Tournament after winning the A-10 regular-season and tournament championships in 2023-24. The Mountaineers also added a Power 4 transfer in Preston, who arrives from Wake Forest, where she helped lead the Demon Deacons to a 9-0 start, their best since the 2008-09 season, while averaging 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds before her season was cut short by injury. App State also welcomes transfers Camiah Muldrow from Cloud County Community College and Jadyn Atchison from UT Arlington, where Atchison averaged 8.2 points and three rebounds a game while scoring in double digits 14 times last season. Two standout freshmen join the Mountaineers this season: Zoe Smith from Chapel Hill High School and Jaida McClure from Providence Day.
Series History vs. Northwestern
This is the first matchup between the Mountaineers and the Wildcats, who are facing each other as part of the Greenbrier Tip-Off.
Scouting the Wildcats
Northwestern enters Saturday's matchup 1-2 on the season, coming off its second consecutive loss after falling to UIC on Sunday, 76-71.
Three games in, Northwestern has three players scoring in double figures, with Lily Carmody leading the Wildcats at 18 points per game while shooting 57.1% from beyond the arc. Casey Harter and Jasmyn Cooper-Derba both average 14.3 points a game, with Cooper-Derba averaging a team-high eight rebounds a game. Carmody's best performance came against Milwaukee in Northwestern's sole win of the season in its opener, scoring 21 points in 36 minutes of play.
Northwestern finished the 2025-26 season 8-21 (2-16 Big Ten), losing its last 11 games to end the season.
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will remain on the road to take on their second straight Power 4 opponent, Wake Forest, on Thursday at 6 p.m., streaming on ACCNX.
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