TROY, Ala. – Despite fighting through 14 lead changes in a tight game on Wednesday, the App State women's basketball team (10-12, 3-9 SBC) fell short to Troy, 69-59.
"We are improving as a team in so many ways," said head coach
Alaura Sharp. "The consistency that we play our way is the next step. That is the only thing that stands in our way of winning games like tonight."
Junior
Daisia Mitchell marked her seventh game as App State's top scorer, netting 12 points. Joining Mitchell in double figures was senior
Elena Pericic (11 points), sophomore
Feryal Defne Atli (10 points), and graduate student
Jada Burton (10 points). Pericic and Burton combined for four of App State's five 3-point buckets on the night. Senior
Emma Smith was App State's top rebounder on the night, grabbing eight boards, followed by Atli, who grabbed seven. The Mountaineers scored 11 points off 11 Troy turnovers while holding the Trojans to 21.7% from beyond the arc. App State also shot 88.9% from the charity stripe, with Troy shooting just 57.1%.
Mitchell put the Mountaineers on the board with a layup, which Atli and Pericic followed up with a jumper and layup to push App State ahead, 6-5. Pericic and Atli led the Mountaineers in the first quarter, combining for 14 points. Pericic drained 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the field. With a late jumper from Hege and a layup from Atli, App State closed the period with a 20-17 lead. After holding the Mountaineers to six points in the second quarter, Troy took a 36-26 lead at the half.
App State returned from the break hungry, as Burton drilled back-to-back triples. A 7-0 run that featured a three-point play and layup from Mitchell, as well as a jumper from Burton gave the Mountaineers a 39-38 edge. With 1:41 left in the period, the Mountaineers kept pace with the Trojans, as Hege and Atli made trips to the hoop and Pericic completed a three-point play, cutting Troy's lead to 50-49. The Mountaineers outscored Troy, 23-14, at the close of the period.
Burton opened the fourth quarter with a jumper to push App State ahead, 51-50, before the Trojans jumped ahead, 54-51. The Mountaineers knotted the score at 54-all with a free throw and layup from freshman
Addie Biel. The Trojans broke the tie with an 8-0 run to take a 62-54 lead. Despite a three-point play from Mitchell and a layup from Smith, Troy sealed the win, 69-59.
Up Next
App State will take on Kent State in Kent, Ohio on Saturday for the second installment of the 2025-26 MAC-SBC Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
