BOONE, N.C. – Despite a strong start through the first 20 minutes of play, the App State women's basketball team came up short against James Madison, 60-53, in its return to the Holmes Center on Wednesday.
"It feels like three games in a row that we have played really well, really hard, we've had different people stepping up and we just can't close the game," said head coach
Alaura Sharp. "We had Troy on the ropes, we had Kent State on the ropes, James Madison on the ropes today, controlled a lot of the game, once we lost our momentum I just think that's the next step. It's wearing on our kids a little bit, so for them to still be able to come out and compete, I'm really proud of that. I'm not here for moral victories, I was hired to win and to elevate the program, but it's a process."
Senior
Emma Smith was the Mountaineers' top scorer for a sixth game this season, netting 13 points to also mark her 13th game in double figures this winter. Smith shot 100% from beyond the arc, accounting for three of App State's seven 3-point buckets. Sophomore
Feryal Defne Atli contributed 12 points, coming within five of her career high. The Mountaineers' top rebounder on the night was junior
Daisia Mitchell, who grabbed seven boards. Mitchell also dished out a team high four assists.
App State (10-14, 3-10 SBC) held James Madison, which entered Wednesday's contest ranked 61st nationally in offensive rebounds per game (11.0), to seven offensive boards. The Mountaineers also knocked down seven triples to the Dukes' three. App State also netted 11 second-chance points compared to the JMU's eight.
The Mountaineers outscored the Dukes, 26-19, through the first 20 minutes of play. JMU jumped to an early 6-0 lead within in the first 3:30 of the game. App State answered with an 8-0 run over the remainder of the first quarter, building off a layup and free throw from freshman
Addie Biel, a jumper from senior
Emily Hege, and the first of Smith's 3-point buckets to close the period with an 8-6 edge.
Biel opened the second quarter with a layup in the paint to push App State ahead, 10-6. The Black and Gold extended its lead to 18-10 with a 7-0 run that featured an Atli layup, freebies from Mitchell, and a 3-point bucket from Hege. With 1:55 left in the period, senior
Elena Pericic made a trip to the hoop for a layup, graduate student
Jada Burton broke away for a 3-point bucket, and Michell made a layup of her own.
Atli opened the third quarter with a three-point play. With back-to-back inside scores from Atli and Smith, and a layup from Biel, App State led by 10 (37-27). Late in the period, JMU narrowed the deficit to three, but Burton drained her second 3-pointer of the game to keep the Mountaineers ahead, 41-35. In the fourth quarter momentum favored the Dukes, as JMU went on an 11-0 run to regain the lead. Atli executed another successful three-point play and Smith drained back-to-back triples to bring the Mountaineers within one (51-50) with 2:31 left in regulation. Despite a 3-point bucket from Pericic, JMU took the win, 60-53.
Up Next
App State will host Georgia State for Pink Day and Alumni Day on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the Holmes Center. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and there will be a t-shirt giveaway for the first 100 students as well as a postgame autograph session with the team.
