BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (6-12, 3-6 SBC) showed excellent resiliency in a 96-81 win over Troy (10-9, 5-5 SBC) Thursday evening in Trojan Arena.
Head coach Angel Elderkin needed to light a fire under the squad after two setbacks at home against Georgia State and Georgia Southern, and that's exactly what she did lighting 15 matches in the locker room before the game. It gave the Apps motivation in the victory, snapping a four-game losing streak while four players set new career highs.
Joi Jones was one of many great performances on the evening with a team-high 18 points, dished out a career-best 8 assists, grabbed five boards and turned the ball over just once. Jones was also one of six student-athletes that shot at least 50 percent.
Bria Carter scored 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The scoring output was the highest for Carter on the road this season. Madi Story continued her solid play with her first double-double of her career with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. The sophomore also dished out five dimes in the victory.
The production didn't stop there, as three more student-athletes scored in double figures. Ashley Bassett-Smith had her best performance of the season with a career-high 15 points on an efficient 7-for-8 production from the floor. Kaila Craven put up five buckets and a pair of trifectas for 12 points off the bench, and KeKe Cooper was a beast on the boards for her fourth double-double of the season corralling a career-high 16 boards along with 10 points.
After trailing 19-15 after the first quarter, it was all Appalachian from that point on. Both teams exchanged four ties and four lead changes in the period. Following a layup from Carter that gave the Mountaineers a 13-12 lead, the Trojans scored seven of the next nine points for their largest lead of the contest.
Appalachian clicked on all cylinders to open the second period hitting seven of its first nine field goals that led to a dominating 20-4 run over a 5:08 span and a 35-23 lead. Carter opened the quarter with layup followed by a pair of free throws from Jones. Farrahn Wood hit of her three trifectas that broke a 19-19 tie to give Appalachian the lead for good. The Mountaineer defense clamped down on defense during the stretch forcing the hosts to shoot 3-for-11.
The Mountaineers stayed on top of the Trojans for the rest of the half with an 11-point lead going into the break, 44-33. The Black and Gold shot 10-for-19 from the floor while holding Troy to 7-for-21 from the field and outscored the Trojans, 29-14. App State did a terrific job of moving the ball assisting on seven of the 10 shots.
App State's momentum carried over into the second half running out to a 16-point lead, 58-42, thanks to layups from Carter, Cooper and Mia Marshall. Appalachian eventually went into the final quarter with a 64-52 advantage, but the Apps saved the best for last in the fourth.
The Mountaineers scored 32 points in the period that led to the 15-point victory, including 10 points from Jones. Appalachian expanded the lead to as much as 21, 79-58, thanks to five-straight points from Story. The victors wouldn't lead by no less than 13 and was never threated by the hosts the rest of the way.
Since the first quarter (6-for-20), Appalachian shot 31-of-53 (58.4) from the field. Appalachian scored 46 points in the paint while scoring a staggering 42 points from the bench.
Ashley Beverly-Kelley scored a game-high 22 points for the Trojans, but the Mountaineers didn't make it easy for the guard, shooting just 6-for-19 from the floor and forced Kelley to commit a team-worst six turnovers.
App State will look to keep the same type of play against South Alabama on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. (ET).
Quotable:
“Today was an outstanding team effort with contributions fom every player in our program. I am really proud of our execution of the game plan and resiliency that this team continues to show our coaching staff.” - head coach Angel Elderkin
Tip-Ins
- The 96 points scored on the road in conference play is the highest since Appalachian scored 102 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 22, 1996.
- The quartet of Bassett-Smith (15), Craven (12), Cooper (10) and Wood (9) combined for 38 of the team's points off the bench.
- App State is now 4-0 this season when at least five players have reached double figures.
- The 46 points in the paint is the highest the Mountaineers have scored on the road.
- Appalachian's 50.7 percent shooting from the floor is a season high on the road.
- Appalachian's 96 points are a season-high.
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