ATLANTA - Appalachian State University women's basketball (8-9, 3-3 SBC) needed a gutsy performance on Thursday to pull out a 67-63 triumph over Georgia State (5-12, 1-5 SBC) at the GSU Sports Arena.

Madi Story scored a game-high 19 points and hit a career-high five 3-pointers to pace the App offense, while Joi Jones scored 12 points on five buckets and Q. Murray chipped in with 10. Story also grabbed five off the glass and dished out five assists to lead the team.

Appalachian moved the ball very well against GSU's defense, assisting on 16 of 25 field goals (64 percent). 

Bayley Plummer corralled a team-high eight boards to go along with eight points off the bench. Amber Driver  also scored eight points off the bench. The duo combined for 16 points, shot 7-of-13, grabbed 10 boards and made big plays in the fourth quarter.

After making just nine 3-pointers in the last five games, the Apps hit a season-high nine trifectas and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, which is a season best when shooting at least 10 treys. App State also controlled the boards, 40-31, and held a 14-7 advantage in second-chance points. 

With the game tied at the 2:14 mark, 61-61, the Apps scored six of the final eight points to earn the win. 

Jones muscled her way to a layup down low to break the tie for good. After coming up with a big defensive stop, both teams traded a pair of baskets including a big shot in the paint from Story as the shot clock winded down. 

GSU would hit a layup to cut the deficit to one possession, 65-63, but Ashley Bassett-Smith sealed the win and handed the Panthers their fifth-straight loss as the senior stepped up with a big pair of free throws. App made the shots it needed to down the stretch, shooting 5-for-7 from the floor in the final 4:41 of the game. 

The Panthers came out of the gate with an 8-2 lead in the first 2:42 of the contest. App gained its composure to outscore the visitors, 17-5, the rest of the way to go into the second quarter with a 19-13 lead. Appalachian held GSU to 27.8 percent shooting from the floor and forced the Panthers to miss their final six shots in the quarter. 

An early 9-4 surge from the Panthers cut the deficit to one, 23-22, with 6:22 left in the first half. Appalachian responded with three-straight treys from Story, Driver and Murray to cap off a 9-0 run to push the lead to 10 (32-22), eventually taking a 34-26 lead into the half. 

App State stayed in control for the third quarter despite Georgia State tying the game at 42-apiece. The Mountaineers scored six of the last eight points in the third to go in front, 48-44. Murray came away with a big 3-pointer before Bria Carter (Spotsylvania, Va./Spotsylvania) scored her only points of the game with an old-fashion 3-point play before the buzzer.

In an exciting fourth quarter, the Apps and Panthers wouldn't have a lead by more than four points. Georgia State took its largest lead since the first quarter at 52-50.  Story gave Appalachian the lead for good with a 3-pointer from the wing, despite the Panthers having chances to tie the game. 

Appalachian shot 3-for-5 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter and shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. 

The Mountaineers will look to keep the momentum going against archrival Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. in Statesboro.

Quotable:
“I'm really proud of our team tonight for responding with relentless effort. We had a focus this week to win the boards, and we executed that against a very good Georgia State rebounding team. Madi (Story) stepped up and hit some big shots from the arc, and her confidence was contagious. Anytime we can win on the road in the Sun Belt is a great win.”  - Angel Elderkin.

Tip-Ins

- App State is 6-3 this season coming off a loss.

- The Mountaineers and Panthers are now tied in the all-time series, 4-4. 

- All four of Appalachian's wins against GSU has come on its home floor.

- Appalachian scored .985 points per possession against GSU.

- Driver led the team in plus/minus with a plus-10 in 16 minutes.

- Jones is now 21st all-time in scoring in program history.

- The Mountaineers have matched last season's win total on the road.