YPSILANTI, Mich. – The App State women's basketball team defeated Eastern Michigan 74-62 in Monday's season opener at the Gervin GameAbove Center.
"Really proud of our team," head coach Alaura Sharp said. "We showed our togetherness and played with some toughness in the second half. We really took a step with pushing pace and tempo. We have lots of room to grow, and we will work day to day to get better."
Joi Williams had a standout opening game, leading the Mountaineers (1-0) with 14 points, six assists and two steals, including seven points in the second quarter. Four Mountaineers scored in double figures, with both Jadyn Atchison and Raven Preston scoring 13 points, and Daisia Mitchell recording 10.
App State held firm defensively, holding the Eagles to 35% shooting from the field and 35% from 3-point range. Offensively, the Mountaineers shot nearly 50% from the field and connected on 9-of-20 attempts from beyond the arc.
Sharp now moves to 2-1 in season openers during her tenure. Monday's win over Eastern Michigan (0-1) marks her second consecutive opening-day victory, both by double-digit margins.
The Mountaineers opened the game on a 7-0 run, with Feryal Defne Atli scoring the first points of the 2026-27 campaign from the post. Preston scored six points in the opening period, helping App State build a 23-12 lead heading into the second quarter after closing the frame on a 13-5 run.
App State cooled off as both teams settled into their season opener, dropping from 60% shooting from the field in the first quarter to 26.7% in the second. Despite surrendering a 20-2 run over eight minutes and making just 1 of their last 12 field goal attempts to close the half, the Mountaineers trailed by only three points, 36-33, at the break.
Coming out of halftime, the Mountaineers regained their offensive rhythm, shooting over 55% from the field and knocking down 4-of-7 3-point attempts in a 25-point third quarter. Scoring came in bunches, with Williams scoring seven points, while Atchison, Preston and Torin Rogers added five points each. App State carried a 58-51 advantage into the final quarter.
The Mountaineers maintained their momentum in the fourth quarter while stifling Eastern Michigan defensively, holding the Eagles to 3-for-15 shooting from the field and forcing eight turnovers. Led by seven points from Atli in the final frame, App State closed out the victory despite going scoreless from the field over the final four minutes. Defensively, the Mountaineers did not allow a field goal in the final three minutes and forced five turnovers in the last six minutes.
Up Next
The Mountaineers return home to host Montreat College on Wednesday at 5 p.m. to open their home slate. The game is the first leg of a doubleheader, with the men's team hosting Christendom at 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will stream live on ESPN+, with tickets available at appstatesports.evenue.net/list/GS.
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