App State Routs UNCA, 81-51, in Midweek Matinee

BOONE, N.C. -- Lockdown defense and strong rebounding propelled Appalachian State University women's basketball past UNC Asheville, 81-51, on Wednesday afternoon at the Holmes Center.

The Mountaineers (5-6) dismantled the No. 1 scoring offense in the Big South, with relentless pursuit, getting 16 takeaways and holding the Bulldogs (6-3) to a tied-season-low 51 points and a season-worst 27.3 percent shooting clip.

Appalachian's offense was also rolling, recording a season high in field goal percentage (43.9), a season high in points, and a season best in rebounds (51) and blocks (9). Also, the Mountaineers displayed their best ball movement of the season, dishing out a season-high 21 assists. 

Leading the Mountaineers in board crashing was Bayley Plummer finished with a career-high nine rebounds while hosting the block party was Ashley Bassett-Smith, who stuffed three shots, while Plummer and Driver each threw two shots back.

The Black and Gold were led on offense by three double-digit scorers. Q Murray finished with a career-high 22 points and a season-high five assists while Joi Jones tallied a complete game, recording13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. 

Amber Driver saved her best performance of the season in the non-conference finale, coming off the bench to score a career-high 11 points and put in a personal-best seven rebounds. Madi Story's  double-figure scoring streak was snapped at four games, but boasted a plus-30 in the plus/minus column, stuffing the stat sheet with six points, eight boards, and six assists.

It was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter between both teams. With two seconds left in the first quarter and Appalachian trailing by one, 11-10, Murray spearheaded a 7-2 spurt with a corner 3-pointer to give the Apps a 13-11 advantage going into the second frame. 

Appalachian never succeeded the lead as it blew the doors open in the second quarter, outscoring the visitors,  20-7, thanks to the help of next-level defense. App State held UNCA without a field goal for the entire quarter en route to its lowest point total of any half this season with 18.

With App State leading 17-13, the Black and Gold used an 11-0 run over a 5:44 span to take a 28-13 lead. The duo of Plummer and Driver provided the run with nine of the points with Murray sealing the spurt with a pair of free throws. The defense held UNCA scoreless for more than seven minutes and missing all six shots. 

App State went into the half with a 33-18 edge while holding the Bulldogs to 21 percent shooting from the field. Five players scored at least five points, and the Apps assisted on nine of 12 field goals.

The Mountaineers never let the lead dip below double digits en route to ballooning the lead to as much as 34 in the fourth quarter, 75-41. Appalachian dominated on both ends of the floor in a win that will surely give the Black and Gold confidence going into conference play and snapping the three-game slide. 

App State's defense hounded UNCA's leading scorers in Tianna Knuckles, Khaila Webb, and Chatori Major. The trio came in averaging more than 10 points but was held to 17 points combined on 5-of-22 shooting from the floor. 

The bench played its best game of the season scoring a season-high 27 points while App State scored 23 points off of the Bulldogs' miscues. 

The Mountaineers travel to UT-Arlington for the beginning of Sun Belt Conference play. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 29.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12, and ticket books can now be purchased from your our ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.

Quotable:
"This was a great win for our team against a very good UNC Asheville squad. Our defense came out and set the tone, and we were aggressive on the offensive end. The players had a good week of practice, and it showed in today's game. I was proud of how our bench stepped up with Amber (Driver) and Bayley (Plummer) providing offense and rebounding. Q (Murray) played great basketball on both ends of the floor. It was a total team effort, and this victory will give us confidence going into Sun Belt play. - Angel Elderkin

Tip-Ins
- App State's 1.038 points per possession is a season best.
- Plummer's plus-31 is a team best this season while Story (30), Murray (26), Jones (21) and Carter (18) followed suit.
- Appalachian is 4-0 when scoring more than 70 points.
- App State has four wins when at least three players score in double figures.
- The 30-point margin is the highest margin of victory since defeating Chattanooga, 77-46, on March 2nd, 2013.
- The margin of victory is also the largest in the Angel Elderkin Era.
- App State improves to 14-3 all-time, while it's the 11th double-digit win in the series.
- App State is 3-0 under coach Elderkin in the Christmas sweater game.