CONWAY, S.C. – Despite narrowing the deficit to one and outscoring Coastal Carolina, 21-8, in the fourth quarter, the App State women's basketball team fell short to the Chanticleers, 65-64.
"I am really proud of the fight in our group," said head coach
Alaura Sharp. "There were some key possessions that we didn't capitalize on. There were also some moments we could have put our head down and quit and we chose to keep scrapping. We have all we need to win down the stretch we have to continue to grow up as a team."
Senior
Emma Smith and freshman
Riley Stoker combined for 33 of App State's points as well as five of App State's eight 3-point buckets. Smith led the team with a season-high 22 points, marking her 14th game in double figures and eighth as the Mountaineers' top scorer. Stoker had a career game with 11 points and a team high eight rebounds. Graduate student
Jada Burton dished out a team and season high six assists.
The Mountaineers (11-15, 4-11 SBC) shot 44.4% from beyond the arc while holding Coastal Carolina to six 3-point buckets and a 3-point percentage of 25.0%. Entering Wednesday's game, the Chanticleers led the league and ranked 45th nationally in 3-point percentage with a mark of 34.8%.
In the first quarter, Coastal Carolina's defense held App State to six points while establishing a 12-point lead. Freshman
Addie Biel opened the second quarter with a free throw and a reverse layup to chip into CCU's lead. Throughout the quarter, App State built off triples from Smith and Burton as well as layups from Stoker, Smith, and senior
Elena Pericic. With 0:33 left in the second quarter, Pericic drained a corner 3-point bucket to narrow the deficit to seven at the half (31-24).
Smith and Stoker combined for 14 of App State's 19 points in the third period. With an 8-0 run over 1:16 that featured a layup in the paint, three freebies from Smith, and Stoker's first collegiate 3-point bucket, the Mountaineers came within one of Coastal Carolina's lead, 33-32. The Chanticleers then answered with a 7-0 run. Triples from Stoker and Pericic brought the Mountaineers back within four (42-35). Despite a jumper from sophomore
Feryal Defne Atli and a second 3-pointer from Smith, Coastal Carolina had regained a 57-43 lead at the close of the period.
App State outscored Coastal Carolina, 21-8, in the fourth quarter with Smith, Burton, and Biel combining for 18 points. The Mountaineers opened the period with an 8-0 run over 2:42 as the Chants faced a drought. A trio of jumpers from Smith and Burton cut the deficit to 61-59. Atli made a layup in the paint to bring the Mountaineers within one (62-61), but despite a buzzer-beating triple from Smith, App State fell short, 65-64.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will round out their last regular season road trip with a stop in Harrisonburg, Va. as they challenge James Madison to a rematch. App State will take on JMU at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
